When Fire Meets Water Unedited
by Danni Tran
Summary: Azumi and Sasuke had always been rivals. They also just happen to end up on the same team along with the infamous Naruto and fangirl Sakura. However, when a dangerous mission is unpredictably placed upon their hands, they must learn to get along if they want to survive. Follows the first events in the anime. Revamped version is now available. Sasuke x OC
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: This story goes along with the story line. Sorry, but if you don't like that, then PLEASE GO AWAY! Other than that, enjoy ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and its characters! I only own my OC, Mizuko Azumi ^^**

**There is actually no Sakura bashing here. I, for one, actually like her (in the later episodes). Eventually, her and Azumi will become friends.**

**Oh, and by the way, sorry for not updating my others stories. I'll try to as soon as I can. And Mizuko actually has control over water AND ice (but her name is like that because she's more like her father; plus, she's nice, so she's not cold and stuff).**

__

I slammed my fist down onto my clock. I then quickly realized that I just crushed my alarm clock for the third time this week. "Shit, Kakashi's gonna kill me," I muttered, slowly sitting up. I glanced at the clock and saw it was crushed into about a hundred pieces.

"And he's gonna make me clean it too."

I sighed and got out of bed to get ready. What time was it anyways? I shifted my gaze towards the clock on the wall. Kakashi knew that I had some kind of problem with alarm clocks and breaking them in the morning, so he decided to put one on the wall.

"Damn, it's already seven! I'm gonna be late!" I exclaimed and rushed into my private bathroom. Although I lived with the silver-haired man for about 6 years already, we were a lot different. For example, I would USUALLY be on time while he would just lag for about 3 frickin' hours. I was more outgoing while he was pretty lazy. I was normal while he was…. Perverted.

Once I was finished, I had on a white shirt. A black belt went along with my skirt that had a couple pockets to store things in. Several bandages were on my thigh, completed with my kunai and shuriken pouch. My hair was worn in two long white-colored pigtails. I wore regular sandals like all the other ninjas in the academy.

With that, I sprint out of my room and down the stairs towards the. Passing the living room, I saw Kakashi reading his perverted book again. I sighed.

_Gosh, Kakashi, I know that my parents were your best friends and you let me stay here and all, but do you HAVE to read your stupid book in front of me?_

As if he had read my thoughts, he placed his book back into his pouch and smiled under his mask. Man, how I wanted to know what was under there. Was it buck teeth…..? Or maybe big lips… or a kissy face?

My eyes twitched in annoyance. Maybe I can sneak it off when he's asleep… (Kakashi right now: ^_^)

"Azumi, you're going to be late…," he said. I sweat dropped.

"You're the one that's always late," I muttered, making Kakashi scratched the back of his head.

I sighed. I headed out the door, but not before grabbing an apple on my way. Then I made my way towards the academy.

**In Class**

Once I got there, I saw Naruto- my best friend- was already there. He seemed to notice me entering the room too.

"Ohaiyo, Azumi!" he called out as he waved at me. I grinned and returned the gesture as I made my way towards him.

"Ohaiyo, Naruto," I greeted.

He gave me a toothy grin. "I'm waiting for Sakura-chan! Man, she's so pretty!" he exclaimed with hearts in his eyes. I raised an eyebrow.

"What? You still like her? I thought you were over her! Seriously, Naruto, to tell you the truth- I don't think she's going to like you that much…"

Speak of the devil, pinky was at the door. It seems like she was racing Ino. _Obviously over Uchiha Sasuke_, I presumed. I glanced at the Uchiha, whose hands were laced together and looked rather bored at the moment. I could tell that he was trying to ignore all of the arguing over him.

What was so great about him anyways? Sure he was handsome and a great ninja, but he's also arrogant.

"Hey, Ino-pig, it was clear that I won the race! So I get Sasuke-kun!"

"Well, billboard brow, I won the race! So I get to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

A vein appeared on the top of my head. _Can they stop fighting for one and just SHUT UP?_

I stole a glance at Naruto and he still had those hearts in his eyes. I shook my head in disappointment.

_Give up, Naruto…_

Just then Sakura "spotted Naruto" and her eyes brightened up. A look of surprise crossed my face. So she's interested in Naruto?

She then ran towards us, pushed Naruto and me away, and stood next to the famous Uchiha. "Ohaiyo, Sasuke-kun~!" she greeted, making my face scrunch up in disgust. _I knew it, she really doesn't like Naruto. Poor guy…_

I clenched my fists and then shoved Naruto out of the way lightly. I wasn't going to let someone diss my friend like that, especially one that knows how I feel (actually, he's the only person besides Kakashi that knows what happened to me in the past).

"Hey, pinky, I think you should apologize to my little friend over here," I said, point my thumb at the blond haired boy. She snorted.

"Why should I?"

My eyes narrowed. "Because I don't think you want," I held up my fist in her face," your pretty little face to be damaged."

Sakura jumped back a little, startled by my sudden move. She suddenly looked nervous. "Fine, sorry," she mumbled. I could barely make out the words, but I still felt satisfied.

"Everyone, please sit down!" Iruka yelled, who somehow entered without me noticing. All of us followed his orders, but Pinky and I were still having a glaring contest. I took my seat next to the infamous Uchiha, who didn't seem to mind since I was probably the only girl in Konoha that didn't go gaga over him. The Chuunin cleared his throat. I threw Sakura one more look before breaking our contact.

"Today, I will tell you what team you will be on. You will find out who your team mates are and who your teacher is," he spoke. Everyone started cheering, except for the 'all mighty' Uchiha.

When it came to Team 7, Iruka-sensei stopped. "This team is going to have an extra member, since the class is uneven. Team 7 is going to be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura-"

Naruto cheered while Sakura groaned.

"-Uchiha Sasuke-"

Naruto groaned while Sakura cheered.

"-and Mizuko Azumi."

Naruto cheered while Sakura groaned and I sighed while Sasuke was…. Just being an Uchiha.

**After Class**

"Where is he? Why is he so late? All of the others have gone already!" Naruto whined and I shrugged.

Suddenly, Naruto picked up the chalkboard eraser and grabbed a chair, dragging it to the sliding doors. He climbed onto the wooden chair and placed the eraser in a gap between the door and the wooden part.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sakura exclaimed.

The mischievous ninja laughed. "That's what he gets for being late!"

Sasuke sighed. "A skilled Jounin wouldn't fall for that stupid trick," he said in his usual monotone voice.

Sakura squealed. "Sasuke-kun is right! That stupid trick won't work on a skilled Jounin!" she said in a squeaky voice.

I exhaled sharply. "Shut it, Pinky," I snapped.

Just then the door slid open. A head appeared in the doorway. As it slid open, the eraser fell onto the person's head.

My jaws dropped.

"KAKASHI?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I only own my OC, Azumi ^^**

Recap:

_Just then the door slid open. A head appeared in the doorway. As it slid open, the eraser fell onto the person's head. _

_My jaws dropped._

"_KAKASHI?!" _

"My impression on you guys are……… I hate you," he said bluntly. Everyone was death-panned, including me.

**In the Mountains**

"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" the silver-haired man asked. Naruto shot a finger at him.

"Why should we? We don't know anything about you! You start first!" he yelled. I sweatdropped, but Kakashi nodded anyways.

"Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have a lot of hobbies-"

_And one of them happen to be reading perverted books like Icha Icha Paradise._

"- I don't feel like telling you. My likes and dislikes…. You don't have to know."

Everyone sweatdropped, including Sasuke. "All we found out was his name," Sakura whispered to us. "Now, you," he pointed to Naruto," start."

Naruto beamed. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My hobbies are eating ramen and comparing them! I like eating and when Iruka-sensei takes me out and treats me! I don't like when you have to wait 3 minutes before eating them though. My dream is to become Hokage!"

_All he thinks about is ramen_, was probably what she and Sasuke thought. Kakashi was most likely thinking about how interesting Naruto was. Sakura was up next. While she was talking, she kept on glancing at the young Uchiha and giggling. I felt like banging my head against a wall. Once it was Sasuke's turn, it became interesting. What caught me the most was his dream, or goal.

"My goal is… to kill a certain person."

Those 8 words kept replaying in my mind.

_My goal is… to kill a certain person._

_To kill a certain person…_

_To kill a certain person……….._

I lost my train of thought when someone spoke.

"It's your turn…… idiot," said Sasuke. I grew a pressure-point.

"OK! My name is Mizuko Azumi. My hobbies are training, being with my best friend Naruto, reading, and just hanging around. I like when I finally master a move I've been working on and when I'm having fun or doing something exciting. I dislike fangirls and fanboys," I threw Sakura a look," and people who think highly of themselves," I glared at Sasuke. "My dream- no, goal- …… is to….. also kill a certain someone and recover what I have lost…"

My head lowered. A single tear fell, but I quickly used my power to make it disappear before anyone could notice. Everything was quiet for a moment, but then I happily clapped my hands together. A dazzling smile was suddenly placed on my face. Everyone seemed shocked by what had happened in the past minute. Sasuke quickly recovered when I noticed that he was in that state also.

"B-But let's not think about that right now!" I exclaimed. I wanted everyone to forget about my little speech. But I found out that the person I least expected had the same ambition as me. Maybe this would change some things, but I highly doubt it.

I realized that Kakashi was looking at me as if he just found out he had just lost someone important (which he had a while ago).

Once my guardian knew that I noticed him, he quickly recovered like Sasuke did.

"Well, Team 7. Meet me here early tomorrow morning. Don't be late. Make sure you don't eat either," the masked ninja said. I sweatdropped at his " late" comment.

_You're the one that's always late._

"Why can't we eat anything?" Naruto asked cluelessly. Everyone faced the older ninja, curious looks on their faces.

"Because you'll throw up."

I hope you like the second part ^^ Man, science fair is here -_-" I just hate doing this. I agree with my teacher: Choosing a topic is always the hardest. Well, anyways, wish me luck ^^ I'm not supposed to be using the computer, but I just cut off the internet connection. I have nothing to do after school anymore, so I can write now! :D

And I HIGHLY recommend you guys watching My Lucky Star and ISWAK 1 and 2. Bye peeps ;D


	3. Chapter 3

YAY! IT SNOWED YESTERDAY, AND IT BARELY EVER SNOWS OVER HERE WHERE I LIVE! IT'S SO EXCITING, BUT WE DIDN'T CANCEL SCHOOL EARLY. :( OH WELL, IT SNOWED!!!! WHOO!!!!!!!!!!!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the characters, or the series. I just own my OC, Azumi ^^**

I hope you guys enjoy the story! :D

The next morning, we all gathered around the training field. I was the first one that got there. I noticed that Naruto drearily dragged himself out of bed to come. It _was _5 a.m. in the morning.

"Morning, Naruto," I greeted. He mumbled something back, but I couldn't make out what it was. I guess he was just saying "good morning" back. He slumped onto the group, laying on his back and looking up at the sky.

Next came Sasuke, coolly walking into the scene with his hands in his pockets, and was later followed by a tired Sakura. Her energy rose up when she saw Sasuke, and started acting all love-struck all over again.

I was watching everything from a tree branch, a few feet above the ground. Naruto was almost directly below me on the ground floor.

"I wonder if what Kakashi-sensei said yesterday was really true," he wondered out loud. I silently thought back to yesterday before we left.

**Flashback**

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei! What are we going to do tomorrow?" Naruto asked excited.

"Survival training," Kakashi said bluntly.

"Why do we need to receive that kind of training? We already learned that in the Academy," Sakura butted in.

"It's a special kind of training," replied Kakashi.

"What kind of training?" Naruto asked curiously.

Kakashi let out a laugh. "Out of the 27 that graduated from the Academy, only 9 will become a Genin, or a low-leveled ninja. Those who do not pass will be sent back into the Academy. The failure rate of this mission is over 66%."

Naruto looked shocked while Sakura looked disappointed. Sasuke kept his cool, but I couldn't help wondering if he was worried at all. I realized what I was thinking and mentally slapped myself for thinking about him. I mean, there was nothing special going on between us! And I hated him!

**Flashback Ends**

"It seems like it. I highly doubt he would lie about something like that," I replied.

About 4 hours passed, and it was 9 am already. "I wished he'd come earlier this time and not let us wait for a couple of hours," Naruto thought out loud.

I scoffed loudly. "Knowing him, I doubt he's going to ever come on time," I replied, turning my head slightly to look down. I then sat up and jumped down, landing just a few inches beside Naruto.

"What do you mean, Azumi-chan? How do you know him so well, even before he introduced himself to us?" he asked cluelessly.

"I live with him," I simply replied.

Naruto's eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped to the floor. I noticed Sasuke and Sakura turned towards us. The kunoichi has a dumb expression on her face while Sasuke had a hint of shock on his face.

"If you guys live in the same house…. Does that mean that you're a married couple?" Naruto yelled. My jaws dropped.

"WHAT?!" I screamed. It echoed throughout the forest, making birds fly out of their nesting spot.

"WHAT?! NO! He's my guardian!" I yelled in defense. For some reason, Sasuke looked slightly relieved. He exhaled, as if he was holding his breath the whole time. Sakura composed herself shortly after he did. Naruto was still dumbfounded.

"So you guys are not married?"

"Of course n-"

The bush suddenly rustled and out popped the silver haired jounin.

"Married? Married to who?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing!" I spat. Kakashi just simply shrugged, and then continued his way towards us.

"Sorry I was late! I ran into a black cat," he said.

"Liar!" Sakura, Naruto, and I yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. He just smiled under his masked and scratched the back of his head. He then walked over to a clock, which was placed on a tree stump. He set it to noon, and then set it down. We all gave him a blank stare. Kakashi took out 3 silver bells, which rung once the wind blew against it.

"Your mission is to steal one of these bells from me before noon hits," he said. "As you can see, there are 3. The one who does not retrieve one will go without lunch and watch their teammates eat. It seemed like we all realized why he told us not to eat.

"Kakashi-sensei, why are there only 3 bells?" Sakura asked. I was interested in his answer.

"Because one will definitely fail," he said. A dangerous aura suddenly surrounded the area. "Remember, those who do not get one, cannot have lunch and will be sent back to the Academy."

"But!... don't you think this is too rash?" I exclaimed. Kakashi just simply ignored me.

"I advise you to use your shurikens. You cannot get them without a killing intent."

"But you'd be in danger!" Sakura yelled out.

Naruto scoffed. "You couldn't even dodge an eraser!" he said, pointing a finger at Kakashi. The jounin's eyes flickered towards Naruto.

"The weakest people generally bark the loudest," he said with his arms crossed. A pressure point appeared on Naruto's head. A sudden dark aura surrounded him, making him look angry and vicious. Before Kakashi could even say start, the blonde-haired ninja dashed towards him with a kunai in his hand. In a flash, Kakashi appeared behind him with a kunai in his hand and Naruto in his other.

Sakura, Sasuke, and I looked at him dumbfounded. For a ninja who couldn't even dodge an eraser, he was fast.

Kakashi's face then lifted. "He did come with a killing intent," I heard him mumble, and I silently agreed.

"Hm, I'm starting to like you guys," he said out loud.

"Ready…… Set…….. GO!"

And with that, we were off to retrieve the bells.


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoa, I work fast now: D I guess because I'm into Naruto again, especially Sasuke, Sasori, and Gaara XD. GO SASUKE, SASORI, AND GAARA XD!!!!!!!!! WHOO! AND I MISS SASORI SO MUCH! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE…….. :( Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

**Third Person's POV**

Kakashi was standing in the open, detecting any movement or presences.

"The basic of a ninja is to erase your presence and hide yourself with skill."

Azumi noticed that Sasuke and Sakura were hidden under bushes while she was in the trees, crouching and watching the field.

"Good job for being concealed well," their sensei praised.

A yellow-haired Shinobi suddenly marched out into the open, a smug look on his face. He then pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi. "I challenge you to a fight!"

Everyone stared at Naruto as if he had just grown another head.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto!" Azumi whispered loudly.

Sasuke couldn't believe how naïve Naruto was. Sure the energetic boy was slow, but Sasuke just couldn't believe that he was this dumb enough to just go out from his hiding spot and challenge a high-ranked ninja to a battle.

Sakura shook her head sadly. '_You really are hopeless.'_

"You're a little off," Kakashi commented.

"Your hairstyle is a little off!" Naruto yelled back, charging towards him. Kakashi remained to look uninterested and began to reach for something in his pocket. Naruto skit to a stop.

"The number one ninja rule is taijutsu," the silver-haired jounin said. But out came something else besides a weapon. He had just pulled out his favorite novel, Come Come Paradise. Azumi looked at her guardian, death-panned. _'I can't believe you're reading your perverted book at a time like this!' _she thought.

Naruto was hesitant to attack. "Why do you have a book?" he yelled, demanding an answer.

"I want to find out what happens next," Kakashi simply answered back. Azumi's mouth hung open.

Naruto threw a punch at Kakashi, who easily blocked it with his free hand. The young Shinobi tried to counter his dodge with a kick, but Kakashi ducked below causing Naruto to miss. Before Naruto could attempt a next move, he was shocked to find his sensei behind him.

"A ninja should never let his opponent get behind him," Kakashi said bluntly. Starting to reveal the hand signs of the tiger, Sakura and Azumi realized this from a distance. Sasuke was shocked to find out Kakashi knew the hand signs to a fire-style jutsu.

"Naruto! Get out of there!" the girls yelled out in unison. Naruto looked up, confused at what could possibly happen to him.

"Too late," said Kakashi, finishing up the signs. "Konoha's ultimate taijutsu move!"

Naruto was half frightened, half shocked, but stopped when realizing both of Kakashi's pointer and middle fingers were stuck up his behind.

"One thousand years of pain!" he yelled, sending Naruto flying upwards and across the training field. Azumi's mouth was once hanging again while Sakura couldn't believe what she just saw.

"What a bunch of morons," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto was send flying into a pond. Sasuke waited for the perfect moment for him to come out. Kakashi returned to his book. Naruto, bewildered, angrily swims back to shore and fired two shurikens towards Kakashi. His sensei remained disinterested, grabbing them both with only two fingers and started twirling them while continue reading his book. Everyone was shocked, even the great Uchiha. Azumi was impressed by her guardian's skill, hoping to be taught those moves from Kakashi himself. Maybe it was a good thing for him to become their sensei after all.

Naruto finally returned to dry land, spurting out the water he had accidentally swallowed just to see Kakashi standing there. "What's wrong, Naruto? Remember, you're supposed to retrieve the bells before noon," he mocked. "I have never seen someone so weak that claims he was going to become Hokage."

Azumi's eyes widened, knowing that that was going to affect her friend. _'You don't need to be so harsh, Kakashi,'_ she thought, silently sorry for Naruto.

All of them were starving, even Azumi who had grabbed an apple on the way out since her guardian was sleeping in the living room with his book covering his face. He must have fallen asleep due to laziness and boredom.

"Hey! I can still fight on an empty stomach!" Naruto yelled, attempting to assure himself.

Sakura started mumbling something about her not eating last night because of a new diet she was on. Naruto started shouting about Kakashi being careless while he was actually the one out of strength and hungry. But he wasn't going to admit that, even though the others already knew the truth. He silently made a vow to get a bell before time was up. _'I can't stay a low-leveled ninja forever,' _he thought, sweat dripping off the side of his face. Kakashi's back was turned, and Naruto took his chance.

About 7 of Naruto's shadow clones jumped out of the water.

"You're the careless one!" he yelled. "Shadow Clone Jutsu is my specialty!"

Sakura couldn't believe that they weren't just an illusion, but real clones. Azumi was impressed that Naruto could master such a hard jutsu while Kakashi acknowledged the fact that the weak little Shinobi was able to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu, a powerful and forbidden technique.

"With your current ability, you probably can't keep it going for more than a mere minute. No matter how many Naruto clones are here, you are still Naruto," Kakashi said. He suddenly noticed that the bells started jingling. One of the clones had tried to steal one. All of the clones jumped onto Kakashi.

"Ninjas aren't supposed to get caught from behind," Naruto mocked arrogantly. He had left one clone purposely in the water. _'Ha! Here's revenge for the pain you had caused my butt to go to,' _he thought mischievously.

Sakura was impressed to see Naruto was doing pretty good. Azumi was glad to see her best friend had actually improved and was doing something nobody would have thought he had the ability to do. Sasuke silently praised Naruto for his well-devised plan. Just when Naruto started to make a move to punch Kakashi, his knuckles collided with one of his clones instead. Kakashi was nowhere in sight from where Naruto was. His clones started to fight, debating on who was who and if any of them were Kakashi, if he had used a transforming jutsu.

After a fight broke out, Naruto deactivated the clones.

Something suddenly clicked inside Azumi's brain. She then turned around and quickly tried to search for Sasuke.

"Such an idiot," Sasuke mumbled at where he was. _'It was actually a replacement jutsu instead of a transformation jutsu, you idiot. Normally, this technique is done quickly by replacing your body with something else. By making it seem like your opponent, it will confuse them, leaving you an opportunity to attack.'_

And what Sasuke thought was true. When Naruto grabbed Kakashi, the jounin quickly switched bodies with a clone, confusing Naruto and making him even used the technique on himself.

Meanwhile, Azumi had just found Sasuke's location. She crouched down beside him.

"Oi, Sasuke," she whispered.

"What?" he asked dully.

"I just figured out the whole point of this mission," she said. Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together.

"…."

"It's teamwork. He wants us to work together! Trust me, I never even thought Kakashi would think of this, but I figured it out. And now, I need your cooperation," she said, gritting her teeth. Even though she figured out the focus, she still hated the Uchiha. But if she had to past the test, she was willing to put things aside.

"No. You'll just drag me down," he said, without a care in his tone. She had a pressure point.

"Hey, you're not that great yourself!" the Kunoichi whispered loudly.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still out on the field. He couldn't believe it; Kakashi had dropped a bell because he was trying to escape the scene. The Shinobi dashed towards it, but before he could pick it up, a trap sprung up, trapping Naruto's foot with a rope and hung him upside-down.

'_What have I gotten myself into?' _he thought, starting to squirm and get himself out of the mess.

Sasuke scoffed, capturing Azumi's attention who was watching the scene. "It was obviously a trap," he said. "The jounin would never have an opening for any attacks."

Kakashi suddenly appeared near the bell where Naruto was hanging. He grabbed the bell and started lecturing the young ninja.

From a distance, Sasuke was shocked to realize Kakashi had left an opening for him to attack. Taking the opportunity, he fired two shurikens at their teacher before Azumi could figure out what happen and stop him. Both shurikens hit the jounin, making him fall to the ground. It seemed like everything happened slowly to everyone.

Sakura couldn't believe what happened. Her mouth was hanging open.

"Sasuke, you've gone too far this time!" Naruto yelled. Azumi was shocked herself to see her guardian get tackled by two shurikens and fall because of a Genin. And it was her _enemy._

"Sasuke!" she screamed.

* * *

**So, how was this chapter? I told you I'd update soon: D Glad that you guys like it! And sorry if it's so close to the story line. It'll change right after I get to the part after the Chuunin exam XD Also, I will add in more romantic scenes for Azumi and Sasuke, especially during the Demon in the Mist episode [ which I will write after finishing this first mission and doing several other stupid missions that they have. Don't worry, there will be something that you will like in it. Here's some kind of spoiler: **

**Azumi will start crying somewhere during that episode/chapter and Sasuke will be there! What do you guys think is doing to happen? And what happens to Azumi when Sasuke is so close to dying? Some of her family secrets are also mentioned in that part, so I hope you guys stay with me until then!**

**Also, I will add in a lot of scenes for them during the Chuunin exam (yayz! Gaara's gonna be there! Maybe I will add in some connection with them xD Anyways, you guys got to wait. But read my Gaara x OC story that I made!**

**I hope you guys like it! And I hope you would review! I mean, come on! The button's right below : D**

**Updated: 12/8/09 (ALMOST CHRISTMAS!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am back again! Aren't I fast at updating right now xD Anyways, I would just like to inform you that I will be going to Florida for Winter Break, so I don't think I'll be able to update for a whole week (which is sad :( ) But still, I'll try to bring my USB along just in case there's a computer and internet connection at the hotel I'm staying at xD anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this part. I don't know if I'm going to get this out on time for Christmas, but still, MERRY [ALMOST] CHRISTMAS! And by the way, I know that you're bored of this first mission thingy. Trust me, I want to move on too, and I'll try to get things through quickly, which is why I'm using the Third Person's Point of View. It makes things so faster XD**

* * *

Kakashi was standing in front of Naruto, whose foot was hanging by a rope that was attacked to a tree branch. The silver-haired man began lecturing Naruto once more, explaining about observing your surroundings and falling into obvious traps. Sasuke suddenly sprung up, taking an opportunity to attack the jounin, who apparently left "an opening".

And before they knew it, "Kakashi" turned into a log. Everyone, besides Naruto, realized that Kakashi hadn't been hit, but had used the replacement technique to get away.

The young Uchiha quickly fled, knowing that the shuriken had giving his destination away. Azumi sighed, and also left the scene, knowing that her rival wouldn't accept the fact that they had to work together.

Sakura, thinking that Kakashi had gotten to her crush already, began to search for her "love". After finding the jounin reading his book, Come Come Paradise, she sighed in relief. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Sakura," it said. She turned around, and yelped. Her sensei was right behind her.

Back to the yellow-clad ninja, he had gotten himself free with a kunai just to have another trap spring up.

"Aw man!"

He began yelling out and tried to get out of the position he was in. After getting out of one trap, he got into another one in a split second. The jounin really was smart.

Kakashi had just finished a special move of his, leaving Sakura in a daze. Once she regained her conscious, she heard someone called her name.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked excitedly.

The smile in her face disappeared once seeing Sasuke in a horrible state. Blood covered his whole body. His clothes were ripped in different places. Dozens of shuriken and kunai were in contact with his body. He called out her name in a weak voice before collapsing. The pink-haired Kunoichi let out a terrifying scream before passing out.

Hiding in the trees was Kakashi, who was wondering if he had gone too hard on her.

Sasuke and Azumi heard a frightening cry nearby. Realizing that it was Sakura's, they thought it was Kakashi's doing.

Kakashi had just demonstrated the work of Genjutsu, or illusions. It was a type of illusion hypnosis, which Naruto and Sakura would have fallen for. It wouldn't have worked on Sasuke, but there's a slight possibility that there was a chance it would convince Azumi.

Kakashi had just met up with Sasuke, telling him about what he had just done to Sakura. They began talking about Genjutsu, and their battle to get the bells began.

Sakura had just awakened. After a few seconds realizing that she had saw Sasuke all hurt and injured before she fainted. Azumi suddenly jumped out from the trees, startling the pink-haired Kunoichi.

"Oi, Sakura," Azumi said. "We need to work together if we're going to try and get the bells."

Sakura scoffed. "I'd rather work with Sasuke-kun!"

Azumi shrugged. "Then suit yourself when you fail," she said. Then the girl disappeared, leaving Sakura all worried about Sasuke again. Azumi knew that Naruto would only ruin everything if he came into the picture. He was probably still hanging from the rope, yelling for someone to go and help him out. If they did, then he would probably say that he's going to beat up Kakashi and get the bells.

But Naruto was free. He was sneaking up on the lunch boxes, hoping to eat his secretly without Kakashi knowing about his scheme or anyone figuring out. Just when he took the lid off the box, a sudden voice behind him made him all scared.

Kakashi was waiting out in the open field, reading his book once more when a shuriken whipped against him. Of course, he dodged, but he was caught by surprise. Looking around, he didn't notice anything. But he sensed chakra nearby, and it was powerful. It was also unusual.

_It must be Azumi,_ he thought. _Only she would have this kind of chakra, besides Naruto. But I've taken care of him already._

The jounin saw a blur pass him. It was moving at lightning speed, just like Sasuke. A kunai was aimed for his arm, but it missed and landed on the ground, sticking upright. The blur suddenly stopped moving, and it was indeed Mizuko Azumi.

"Hello, Kakashi. You've fought the Uchiha. Now, it's time to fight me," she said with a hint of mischievous. She was either serious, or was playing with him. Sasuke was watching from a tree branch. Something inside him wanted to see his rival's skills. Since she always hung around the idiot Naruto, he thought she was someone who didn't have a dream or a life, and was useless. But she lived with Hatake Kakashi, a jounin who proved that he was very powerful. The Uchiha also noticed that she had a very fiery personality, someone who didn't like being told what to do. But he noticed that she had changed once she started her fight with her guardian. This was probably going to be amusing.

Azumi made the first move. She whipped out a kunai with her left hand.

Sasuke hated to admit it, but he was impressed with her skills. He would have never thought she would be this good.

_She would make a great sparring partner,_ he thought. _But her moves are mostly ice and water._

Their battle ended with Kakashi ending up being able to get behind her, holding a kunai to her throat.

"First time I've seen you fight, Azumi," Kakashi said.

The young Kunoichi smirked. "That's right, Kakashi. Now, you know what I'm like. So be careful," she said darkly, then suddenly disappearing.

_Where'd she go? _Sasuke and his mentor questioned silently. If she could have fooled the Jounin, she was indeed very strong.

Sasuke then sprung out and went into action.

Their battle ended with Kakashi managing to pull Sasuke into the ground with his Earth Decapitation Jutsu. After Kakashi left, Sakura leaped out from the bushes. She stopped when she saw the Uchiha's head sticking out of the open ground.

"Sakura…," he called out.

The pink kunoichi let out a scream. She fainted, terrified of the scene in front of her. She believed that it was Sasuke's severed head because of Kakashi's Genjutsu earlier.

Out of nowhere, Azumi jumped out of the forest. Noticing Sasuke's head sticking out, she stopped. After a moment of silence, she began roaring with laughter.

"It's not funny," her rival said in his monotone voice, making her laugh so hard tears were starting to form.

"S-Sorry, b-b-but this is h-hilarious!" Azumi said between laughs. She wiped a tear as her laughter died down. "Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, I'm taking my leave now." She took a few steps away, knowing that Sasuke was going to have to give up some of his pride if he's going to want to get out of there.

"O… Oi," he said. She stopped and turned around, looking at him innocent.

"Yes?" she asked, grinning to herself.

"C…. Can you help me…?"

She grinned widened, if that was possible.

"What's the magic password?" she sang joyously. There was silence, but then she heard it.

"Please….," he mumbled.

Azumi cupped her right hand to her ears. "What was that? I couldn't hear."

"I said please," the Uchiha said slightly louder.

"Again?"

"Please!"

Azumi winked at him. "That's better," she said. Annoyed, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and turned his head. In a few seconds, she released him from the jutsu.

"Well then, Uchiha Sasuke. I will see you later," she said, sticking out a tongue. She then leaped back into the forest of trees.

Sasuke was shocked for a moment, but then kneeled down next to the pink-haired Kunoichi. "What a strange girl," he mumbled.

**After the Clock Rang**

The group of 4 sat next to the 3 pillars, except Naruto, who was tied to one of them.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Azumi asked her best friend. Naruto had a pressure point for some reason.

"I don't want to talk about it!" he spat. Azumi slightly retreated. "Okay, okay," she said, putting up her hands in defense. She had never seen him that cranky before. The four of them were all hungry. They were going to have to last it until they get home. Azumi sighed.

"Maybe it is bad that Kakashi was assigned to us," she mumbled. Sasuke stole a glance at her. She was lying on the ground; looking up at the sky and watching the clouds pass by, just like Shikamaru. Her guardian watched over them, a blank expression on his face.

"You all look hungry," he said. "There was more to the training than you think."

Now that caught everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Azumi asked, sitting up and sitting criss-cross.

Kakashi averted his attention to her.

"You should know. You figured it out."

Azumi's eyebrows filed together, still not figuring out what he's hinting. The jounin ignored this and faced his team once more. "There is no need for you to return to the academy," he said.

Everyone seemed overwhelmed with happiness until Kakashi spoke the next sentence.

"Instead, you should all quit being ninjas, except the person who figured out the true purpose," he said, his eyes fixed on Azumi once again.

Everyone started at their sensei, all wide eyed and shocked.

"Why should we quit being ninjas?" Naruto yelled, enraged by the jounin's assumptions.

"Because you didn't learn the true value," Kakashi said. He then turned towards Azumi, who was watching him. "Do you care to tell us what you learned from today's experience?"

Her eyes widened. "Wait…. You mean…….?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Teamwork."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry if you guys aren't getting what you wanted! But I PROMISE you that there will definitely be a lot of parts with Azumi and Sasuke in it. Just wait until they hit the mission part, and there will be ROMANCE ;D And some fluff. OOOOOOOOH! Sasuke's gonna comfort Azumi somehow ;D but how is the question. Stay tune peoplez! :D I love you all!**

* * *

"Why should we all quit being ninjas just because we didn't get the bells?" Naruto asked. Everyone was definitely paying attention now.

"It's because most of you are spoiled brats who don't deserve to be ninjas," Kakashi answered. "Including you sometimes too, Azumi."

Sasuke suddenly sprinted towards the jounin with a kunai in his hand, outraged by what Kakashi had just said. Kakashi restrained the outraged ninja, pulling him to the ground and stepping on his head. "This is why you are brats."

"Get your foot off Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

Kakashi scoffed, and began telling them a lecture about teams and the whole reason behind it. They all finally realized that they should have accepted Azumi's invitation, but it was too late.

"If you have all came after me at the same time, you would have might gotten the bells," he said.

"But there's only three bells! If we all worked together, then one of us would fail," Sakura pointed out.

_State the obvious,_ Azumi thought, rolling her eyes.

Sakura continued to go on about teamwork turning into fighting. Kakashi stated that he knew this. He told them that the goal was to find out who would sacrifice their interests and work as a team, but only one did that. And that one got declined by everyone.

Kakashi whipped out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat.

"Sakura, Azumi, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies," he said, shocking everyone. After a moment, he pulled back and placed the kunai back into his satchel. "That's one possible situation that could happen."

Azumi, Naruto, and Sakura sighed, relieved that they didn't have to kill anyone or be killed.

Kakashi then continued on, telling them where the lunches are. Naruto made a smart comment about the memorial, and Kakashi tells them that it wasn't just a regular memorial. It was actually one that lost their lives in serving the country. He proceeds, telling them that the names of his very best friends were on there. Azumi watched Kakashi, who looked sadly at the memorial. She knew that he had some good friends, and he had lost many of them.

They then had a break. Before he left, Kakashi told everyone they could eat, except Naruto, who tried to cheat.

"If you feed him, then you will fail immediately," the jounin said before leaving the scene. Everyone was dumbfounded, but they began eating anyways. After a couple times of Naruto's stomach rumbling, Azumi sighed and handed him her lunch box.

"Take it and eat it, Naruto. Your stomach is driving me crazy," she said, wincing at another sound coming from Naruto.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at her. Sasuke was staring while Sakura was giving her an "are-you-crazy?" look.

"Didn't you hear what Kakashi-sensei just said?" she asked. Azumi shrugged in response.

"His stomach is like a broken record and it's hurting my ears! Besides, Kakashi and I have known each other for years, and he knows me really well. I think he's going to let me off the hook eventually," she said. Taking in her speech carefully, Sasuke held out his lunch box towards Naruto.

"Take mine. This girl needs it more than I do," he said, bored, receiving an angry shout and a punch in his arm in response. "I don't feel his presence nearby. Since you're part of the team, we'll all suffer if you're not with us after the break."

Sakura, taking in what _Sasuke _just said, held out _her _lunch box out to Naruto.

During their little lunch session, they were unaware of a certain person watching them.

"Hurry up and eat before Kakashi-sensei sees us!" Sakura whispered loudly.

"But I can't eat! I'm tied to a post!" he whined. Azumi groaned and fell backwards to the ground, a certain Uchiha watching her. Sakura then realized what Naruto was asking for. She had a pressure point.

"Just hurry up and eat!" Sasuke mumbled.

"Fine, I'll only feed you one time," Sakura said.

Sakura fed him a rice ball while Azumi took in a handful of rice.

There was a sudden poof, startling Azumi greatly. She made a gagging noise and spat out some rice onto the floor. She began coughing. Sasuke was debating silently if he should pat her on the back or just leave her alone. After a few milliseconds of thinking, he decided to pat her on the back, _but just this once._

Once she was done with her coughing fit, she looked up. "Thanks," she mumbled, glaring at Kakashi. She then realized her guardian looked furious right now, making Azumi forget her anger for a moment and stare at him with her other teammates.

"You disobeyed the rules, so be prepared to pay," he said in a menacing way. He performed a series of hand signs, making the clouds turn stormy and thunderous.

"Hey, Kakashi! We _had _to do it! Remember, we're a four-man squad!" Azumi yelled out bravely, although she was really terrified of the silver-haired man on the inside.

"Yea, that's right! Whatever happens to one person, it affects all of us!" Naruto shouted out.

Sasuke nodded, and Sakura even agreed.

"Well then, you all passed!" Kakashi exclaimed.

"So what? If we fail, then we all- wait, what?" Naruto asked. Azumi snickered while Kakashi chuckled.

"I said you all passed!" he repeated. Everyone, besides Azumi, looked dumbfounded. The purple-haired girl was still laughing about Naruto's comment.

"You were the first team that disobeyed me. All of the other idiots listened to what I said about not feeding your teammate," Kakashi said. The clouds began to clear up, sending a ray of sunshine down.

"A ninja must see through deception," Kakashi stated. "Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but people who don't take care of their friends are worse than trash."

Naruto started crying and yelling how Kakashi was cool and how Azumi was lucky to have a guardian like him. Azumi sweatdropped at his comment and gave Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi a smile that spelled out "what-the-heck-is-he-doing".

"The test is now over. You have all passed. You will start your missions tomorrow," Kakashi finished. Sasuke stayed his normal way, although Azumi could tell he was pleased. Naruto, Azumi, and Sakura showed off their excitement by running around, shouting, jumping, and hugging/high-fiving each other, even though Naruto was still tied. Azumi gave the jounin a hug.

"Now follow me," Kakashi said. After a few seconds, Naruto realized that he was still tied up when he saw the four starting to leave.

"Hey, what about me? Don't forget me! Come back and untie me!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again, my readers that I do not know: D I am back with yet ANOTHER chapter. Aren't you guys just blessed to have me? XD lol, just kidding! I think I've lost some readers O_O **

* * *

Azumi's Point of View:

We had just finished a D-Ranked Mission, and it was NOT fun at all. I felt sorry for Naruto, who was severely scratched by the cat we were supposed to capture. Her name was _Tora. _We had just returned Tora back to her rightful owner, who began squeezing the life out of her.

"Ha, the stupid cat deserves to get squashed!" Naruto yelled out, happy that he got revenge. Sakura and I just stared at the woman. Tora was nearly dead by now. We were both bug-eyed.

"I now realize why the cat ran in the first place…," Sakura mumbled.

I watched horrified as if I just saw a giant spider (which I am deeply afraid of). Nudging Sakura and Sasuke, they both leaned in slightly. "I feel sorry for it," I whispered.

"Your next mission has several tasks like babysitting a 3 year old baby, grocery shopping for a mother, digging potatoes, an-"

"Aw, come on! I want to go on a real mission that's exciting and challenging, not these boring missions!" Naruto cut in. Sasuke believed that the idiot had a point.

_What a pain, _Sakura thought.

Iruka slammed his hands on the table, startling the four Genin. "You're just a simple Genin, so you start out with simple missions to prove and develop yourself!" he scolded.

"How is baby-sitting a real mission?" After saying that, he got bumped on the head by the Jounin. "Quiet down," he mumbled.

I glanced at my best friend, then back to the old man.

"Well, Hokage-sama, I agree with Naruto. I also believe that we should receive more difficult and challenging missions," I said in a polite manner. The Hokage went on, telling us about the different ranks and kinds of missions they offer. Half-way during his speech, Naruto got bored and began talking about ramen and what he ate today for breakfast. After the old man finished his speech, he realized that nobody was listening to him.

"So I had this kind of ramen yesterday and I plan on eating this kind today," Naruto said, completely ignoring the Hokage.

"Were you even listening to what I said?" the old man asked.

"Stop lecturing me! You sound like my grandfather! I'm not the same kind of person that pulls pranks anymore. I'm a ninja wanting a real ninja mission!" He pouted, making Kakashi sigh. Iruka and the Hokage both chuckled. The old man praised Naruto for his determination.

"Fine, I will give you a C-Ranked mission," he rewarded. "You will be bodyguards on this trip."

Naruto and I looked excited. "Who are we guarding? Is it a princess? Or maybe it's a king that needs to get back to his village…. Who is it?" Naruto demanded.

"I will bring him in right now," the Hokage said.

The door slid open, catching all of our attention. We turned around to find an old man, holding a bottle of sake.

"Wait, these brats are going to be the ones guarding me?" he asked rudely. A pressure point appeared on my head.

"Hey, short one with the idiotic look! How am I supposed to believe you're a ninja?" he asked. Naruto gave an idiotic laugh. "Hey, who's the short one with the idiotic look?" he asked, oblivious that the man was actually talking about him. Sasuke was the tallest. Next came me, Sakura, and lastly, Naruto. He shouted out threats, having Kakashi restrain him by hooking onto the hem of his shirt.

"You're supposed to protect him, not kill him," the Jounin stated.

The man then turned towards me. I still had an angered face. After all, he _did _call us brats and told Naruto off.

"And you, looking so short-tempered. Am I supposed to believe you're a good ninja?" he asked. I had another pressure point.

"Hey, I can beat you up any day! You want it to be now?" I yelled, getting held back by Sasuke- who wasn't even trying or caring- and Sakura- who was using all her strength-. The man took another gulp of his drink.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge-builder who must return to my country. I am building a bridge that will change everyone's lives and I expect you to protect me, even if it means giving up your life," he said.

I suddenly felt a weird feeling and sneezed, as if something bad was going to happen and looked away from Tazuna for a moment.

_What was that? _I asked myself. I blinked several times before looking up at Tazuna again. Shaking it off, I stood straight up again.

"You ok, Azumi?" Sakura asked. I slightly nodded.

"It's nothing."

* * *

At the village gate, we were heading off to our first real, live, action-filled ninja mission. This excited Naruto greatly. I also felt a surge of joy, but I kept it in a little better than Naruto. Unlike him- who was jumping around like an idiot-, I just grinned and moved around a little.

"Yes, this is my first time leaving the village!" he yelled out.

Tazuna leaned towards Kakashi. "Is he really going to be able to protect me?" he asked, not caring about his voice level.

"Don't worry, I'm a Jounin," Kakashi replied.

"Why do we have to protect this old geezer anyways?" asked Naruto, who was insulted over Tazuna's comment. "Never insult a ninja, especially if he's going to become the Hokage one day!"

I sneezed, turning everyone's attention towards me once again.

"Sorry, it's nothing," I said, shaking my head. Naruto looked at me strangely while Kakashi had a suspicious look. They all turned away. I turned my head to take a look around, but I noticed Sasuke was still staring. Once I caught his eye, he looked away as if nothing happened. My eyebrows rose, but I turned away.

Tazuna chugged down more of his bottle. "The Hokage is supposed to be strong and wise. You're puny and brainless. If you become Hokage, I'll grow wings and fly."

"SHUT UP!"

Naruto, once again, showed his determination for becoming Hokage and making everyone acknowledge him. And Kakashi _once again _restrained the Genin from tearing their client apart.

"Since you're so special, why don't you order ninjas that are Jounin level? I doubt that you're special. Besides, you're so weak you need guarding. At least Naruto's a ninja and he can fight," I commented.

Tazuna scoffed. "You should be honored to guard me," he said smugly.

I had another pressure point. Sakura and Sasuke held me back from demolishing the old man in front of me.

"Yea right, who would want to guard you?" I yelled. Tazuna ignored my comment and turned towards Kakashi.

"Is she always like this?" I heard him ask.

"Don't worry. She's strong, but is short-tempered. Be careful not to insult her too bad. She'll actually rip you to shreds," Kakashi said.

I sneezed once again.

"Azumi…. You've sneezed three times in less than two hours already. What's wrong?" Kakashi asked. I shook my head.

"It's nothing," I said.

Kakashi and I had a stare down. Since he knew me for so long, the Jounin would know whether or not I'm lying and how I'm feeling. Sometimes, we would have telepathy, as if we can talk to each other mentally by just reading each other's eyes or even from a far distance.

_Tell me the truth, _his eyes read.

_Fine…. Something's wrong. I have a feeling ever since we've met Tazuna._

Kakashi broke the contact and looked up. "Let's go. We're wasting time," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

I just returned from Florida and here I am- writing another chapter for my Sasuke story XD My gosh, I'm so looking forward to after and during the Chuunin exam also. Why? Because I'm going to make another part of this series. It's going to be their 2nd REAL mission with a lot of Sasuke and Azumi in it :D Here are some spoilers (a little): there's going to be jealousy and a lot of parts for Sasuke and Azumi.

Here's part of the plot: Team 7 is assigned a special mission to protect a snow princess and get her back to her land safely. But Princess Miyuki shows some affection for the Uchiha. Kaito, her friend/bodyguard also, shows some affection for Azumi. Jealousy gets in the way. But by the time the couple realizes their feelings for each other, it may be too late.

How's that for the summary xD Anyways, enough with my blabbering. If you guys want to know more, PM me please! I love getting messages!

* * *

On the way, Sakura mentioned something about ninjas over in the Waves. Kakashi answered by saying the Land of Waves didn't need protection since it was such a small island and it had the water around to protect it. He also told us about the Hokage of each land.

"Wow, I never knew that the old man was _that _important," Sakura said amazed.

"The Sexy no Jutsu worked on him, so he can't be that great," Naruto retorted, earning a nod in agreement from me.

"Do not insult the importance of the Hokage," Kakashi scolded.

"Why? I agree with them! Can the old man really fight?" I asked dumbly, lips parting slightly. Kakashi bonked me on the head, leaving me there looking stupid. Sasuke smirked, earning himself a glare from me. We had a stare-off until Kakashi started talking.

"You can relax though. We won't be fighting anyone above Chuunin level," he stated. Tazuna, for some reason, looked away as if he had a secret he was hiding. As we continued our way to the Land of Waves, we passed a strange puddle.

I mentally slapped myself.

_How can a puddle be strange? I'm going psycho._

I met Kakashi's eyes once more.

_Something strange, right? _I thought, knowing Kakashi would receive my answer. He gave a slight nod before looking forward. A few seconds passed before the stalkers made their move. Two ninjas leaped out from the puddle- which disappeared out of sight- and extended claw-liked contractions on their hands. It captured the silver-haired man and before anyone could react, the ninjas pulled hard against the chains, tearing the Jonin to shreds.

We all stared, shocked, at the remaining of Kakashi.

_I knew there was someone, but I didn't plan on them ripping him to shreds!_

The two ninjas appeared behind Naruto. It terrified him when one of them told him he was next. I watched them, frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help. I readied a kunai and shuriken in both of my hands as I watched the scene, aware of my surroundings; mostly of Tazuna.

Edging closer to the old man, I continued watching the fight.

As they began to extend their chains once more, Sasuke leaped into the air tossed a pair of weapons towards the chains. Once they connected, he had successfully bound the chains to a tree. I smirked. Even though he was my rival, I had to admit he was strong and smart. Once he kicked both of them in the face, the chain broke. I exhaled sharply before taking the opportunity to attack. To distract them, I fired the kunai and shuriken at both of them as I created a clone and jumped into the air and out of sight.

Judging from their fighting earlier, they were clearly above Chuunin level.

_Good thing Kakashi taught me how to hide my presence and create a distraction._

As I watched from the trees, I controlled my ice clone. It was similar to Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu, except it was made out of ice and would melt under pressure and fire. It would take several hits before it would disappear. As the two were busy fighting her clone, I snuck below the surface of the field. Feeling that the clone wasn't going to take it anymore, I deactivated the Genjutsu. It took them a moment to figure out my plan, but it was too late. Icicles shot out from the ground.

The only two things I would have to count on now is the reflection on the icicles and sensing their chakra. Unfortunately, they realized this and created a foggy surrounding and hit their chakra. I mumbled some pretty colorful words until I felt someone grab my arm and yank me up into the opening.

Before I could act, they extended their chains again and aimed it towards me. Ice surrounded me, taking the blow instead. One of the chains snuck below, but before it could reach my leg, someone grabbed me and pulled me away. The chain flew up into the air instead and returned back to its owner.

My back met a warm surface and a pair of arms held me against it. Turning my head, I saw Sasuke.

"Watch your surroundings carefully before you get hurt," he said. I knew that he didn't mean it in a caring way. The two ninjas headed towards the other three.

"Shoot," I growled before going to protect the trio. I teleported there and got into a fighting stance with a shuriken in each hand. Sasuke quickly appeared in front of me, protecting us five. Suddenly, _Kakashi _got in front of _him _and smashed the both of them into a headlock. Sakura and I stared at the Jonin.

"Kakashi?" I yelled.

Sasuke had an annoyed face as if someone had just stolen all of the attention away from him.

"Sorry for not saving you guys earlier. I didn't think you would freeze up like that, Naruto," he said. Tazuna sighed in relief, happy that he didn't die yet.

"Good job, Sasuke, Sakura, Azumi," he praised. My eyes flickered somewhere else, slightly flattered from the Jonin's compliment. Naruto's face tightened. I would feel the same way if I was him. He seemed useless while the arrogant Uchiha was getting the attention.

"Are you hurt," Sasuke smirked," scaredy-cat?"

Naruto shifted angrily until Kakashi ordered him to stand still.

"There was poison in their claws and now, they're in your blood," he informed. For some reason, I quickly grabbed his arm- hard- and stared at his hand. My body didn't obey me and instead, reacted as if it was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. My unoccupied hand tightened hard enough to turn my knuckles white. A part of me inside wanted to devour the blood while the other part told me to stay calm and under control.

Naruto grimaced because of my strength. "What are you doing, Azumi-chan?" he asked shakily. When my body finally decided to obey my orders, I released his arm and looked away embarrassed.

"Nothing," I muttered.

"The more you move, the faster the poison will spread," Kakashi said as he looked at me. His eyes then flickered to Tazuna, who was looking flustered and nervous.

"The ninjas that just attacked were both Chuunin from the Hidden Village in the Mist. Their specialty is relentless attack, meaning they would attack no matter what they sacrificed."

"How did you know?" one of them asked.

"It hasn't rained for weeks, yet there is a puddle. Azumi," he turned to me," you should have notice that since we have-"I smiled and nodded as I finished the sentence," –telepathy."

That left the other four wondering, especially Naruto who had question marks appearing all around him. "What's that?" he asked dumbly. I giggled.

"It's some sort of communicating thing with another person using your mind," I explained. "Or, it could be instincts that you know where they are, what they're doing, what they're thinking, and how they're feeling."

Naruto gaped, amazed. "I want to learn that too! Can you teach me, Azumi-chan?"

I tilted my head as I wondered about it. I then nodded. "But it may be harder than it seems."

Tazuna interrupted our little session. "Why did you leave and let the Genin fight?" he asked.

"I could have taken them out quickly, but then I wouldn't learn anything. I needed to find out who they were attacking and what they were after," the Jonin replied. "I wanted to know if they were after Team 7 or," his eyes narrowed," they were after you, Tazuna, the master bridge builder.

"When you filed the request, you only requested to be protected by robbers and highway-men, not assassins that were ninjas trying to kill you. This is not a C-Ranked mission but instead a B or higher. We were only assigned to escort and guard you while you were working on the bridge. If we knew you were going to be attacked by ninjas, we would have placed it under a different category and charged more money.

"Why did you lie?" the Jonin demanded.

"We're just mere Genin. We should go back and treat Naruto's wound before it gets bad," Sakura said.

Kakashi nodded. "Naruto's hand will be a problem. Maybe we should return."

Out of nowhere, Naruto took out a kunai and stabbed himself in the hand, shocking everyone by his sudden action.

"Naruto, are you out of your mind?" I yelled.

"Why am I so different?" he suddenly asked, making me back away and shocked about his question.

"Naruto…," I barely whispered. My eyes softened as I opened up my hand (it was in a fist earlier).

"Stop it, Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

The Genin ignored her and went on. "I've been training several hours just to get stronger and stronger to reach my dream. I promise on this wound," he held up his hand," that I'll never need to be rescued, I'll beat Sasuke, and I'll never give up on Tazuna."

Kakashi nodded. "I see. That was a nice speech, but if you lose any more blood, you'll die."

Naruto was death-panned before frantically waving his arms and yelling he was too young to die while Sakura and Kakashi tried to calm him down. I was still thinking about Naruto's speech. It was really deep, and I believed he wouldn't back down from his promise. Even for a stupid, dumb Genin, he had a good heart. And he was willing to do what was right, even if it risked his life.

I cracked a small smile before noticing a certain Uchiha staring. As I met his gaze, he turned away as if not wanting to get caught.

I stared questionably at him before turning to the other members of Team 7. Kakashi had gotten a hold of Naruto's hand as he examined it. In his head, he was thinking about _something. _

Suddenly, I sneezed. Everyone stopped and looked at me.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you guys always look at me when I sneeze?"

"Because if you sneeze, it means there's something bad going to happen," Sakura replied.

I grunted. "Ugh, what am I- a danger detector?"

* * *

Do you guys really think my story is good? THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING ^^ PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, BECAUSE I NEED IT XD THANK YOU AND HAPPY NEW YEARS!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys-again! So…………………………. On with the story! Usually, I would have something to blabber about, but not today XD

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, BUT I DO OWN MY OC INCLUDING HER'S AND SASUKE'S "MOMENTS" XD

* * *

We were slowly rowing to the shores of The Hidden Village in the Mist. As we passed an enormous, yet unfinished bridge, Naruto spoke loudly," That Bridge is huge!"

The boat driver shushed him as Sakura bonked him on the head. "Quiet down, Naruto! We can't risk getting caught," I whispered loudly.

"Before we reach the Land of Waves, tell us who is after you and why," Kakashi demanded, slightly angry. "If you do not answer, we will drop you off before leaving back to Konoha."

Realizing he had no choice, the old man gave in. "The person after me is a short man that casts a very long shadow." He saw the confusion on our faces and reassured the Jonin. "I am sure that you have heard of him. He is Gato, the owner of a large shipping company." Everyone besides Naruto and me looked shocked.

"Who's this Gato guy? And is he that bad?" I asked, clueless of the fact how he's so scary.

"Gato is not just an ordinary businessman. He takes over businesses and country with the money he makes from selling drugs. He also has many allies such as gangs and ninjas. Gato came to this country just about a year ago and took over the country almost right away because of the large amount of money he owned. Anyone who was against him or stood in the way wouldn't be seen the next day. The only thing he is afraid of is… the uncompleted bridge I'm building- the bridge that you just saw," Tazuna explained.

"What's wrong with the bridge? I mean, I don't get it. There's this super dangerous person, but he has a weakness that doesn't frighten others," I reasoned.

Tazuna shook his head. "That bridge may be unimportant to us, but it is a huge threat to Gato. The bridge would link our two lands together, but it makes it unnecessary for his ships to get through, meaning he won't be able to make money," he continued.

"So you're the only person in his way," Sakura stated.

"So the demon brothers were hired by Gato," said Sasuke.

"So that means that this is a very dangerous mission and we're going to have to keep our guard up if we value our lives," I said dangerously. Naruto had a puzzled face on, but the two adults continued the conversation.

"Why did you hide this when you filed the request?" the Jonin asked.

"The Land of Waves is a very poor country. Even the nobles barely have any money. I had no choice but to rank it low because of the little money. If you were to drop me off, I will surely be assassinated by Gato's men." He sighed. "Are you willing to help me? If not, my grandson and daughter would surely live a life of sorrow," he added, making me sweat drop. The others looked like they couldn't refuse, but I surely could.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to refuse," I said casually, earning a hit in the head from Kakashi.

"_Azumi…_," he warned.

I sighed but couldn't help to cross my arms. "Fine, but he's still a sexist," I retorted, causing Naruto to snicker. Tazuna looked grateful, ignoring my comment unlike the others on my team.

The silver-haired man sighed. "You really are something, Azumi."

* * *

As we walked through the forest on our way to Tazuna's home, Naruto pledged he wouldn't lose to Sasuke." All of a sudden, he whipped out a kunai and threw it at the nearest bush, shocking everyone. Everyone, besides Sasuke of course, was shocked at his sudden action.

"It was a mouse!" he accused before getting yelled at by Sakura.

"Naruto, be careful when using kunai knives," Kakashi scolded.

"Yeah Naruto, chill out. You had me worried there for a moment," I said.

"Someone's following us!" claimed the blond-haired Genin. He whipped out another kunai and threw it to a spot near Kakashi, earning a bump on the head specially made by a certain pink-haired kunoichi. Kakashi headed to the last spot where Naruto threw his kunai and pushed the bushes away, revealing a terrified white rabbit with a kunai nearly aimed at his head. Naruto picked up the rabbit and hugged it to death, telling it he was sorry and he didn't know.

Something snapped inside of me. Snow rabbits were white, and they only turn white when it's winter. This one was especially bred in order to be used as a replacement technique. It all made sense now- the weird feelings, someone following us, Gato's men, Naruto's observations were correct, and the white rabbit!

My theory was that a very strong, sneaky ninja was following us and that he was working with Gato. Naruto was actually right when he said there was someone following.

"There's something wrong," I warned. "Be careful."

Kakashi's expression changed from suspicious to alert. "Everyone, duck down!" he ordered. As we ducked down, an enormous sword flew above our heads and hit a tree, barely missing Tazuna. Standing on the sword handle was a man who also has his face covered by a mask. A look of realization coated Kakashi's face.

"You're Zabuza Momochi, a rogue ninja missing from the Mist," Kakashi stated.

My eyebrows narrowed. Why did that name sound familiar?

Naruto made a dash at Zabuza, just to get stopped by Kakashi. "Our enemy this time is on another level. I guess I'll have to use my secret weapon," he said. As he began adjusting his headband/ forehead protector, the rogue ninja spoke.

"You mean the Sharingan?" he said. Sasuke's calm face turned into a look of confusion and shock.

"Hand over Tazuna," ordered Zabuza. Kakashi kept his hand over his forehead protector as we wondered about the Sharingan. It left me wondering about what this 'Sharingan' was along with the others.

"Don't interfere with this fight! Protect Tazuna!" the Jonin ordered. Kakashi finally lifted his hand, revealing what his hidden left eye looked like. It was a red eye with 3 black symbols around the pupil. A slash made its way through his left eye down to his cheek.

"What exactly is this 'Sharingan'?" I asked. I didn't expect to be answered by the person I hated. After the Uchiha explained to us about the Sharingan, we were all shocked.

"If it belongs to the Uchiha clan, why does _Hatake Kakashi _have it?" I asked, pushing onto the subject. Sasuke huffed in frustration. "I don't know!" he half whispered, half shouted.

Our surroundings suddenly turned foggy as Zabuza continued talking. "When I used to be a Jonin for the Mist, we were ordered to kill Kakashi, the man who copied over a thousand jutsus, the Copy Ninja. My jaws slacked. I couldn't believe that the lazy, perverted man- that was my guardian- copied over a thousand jutsus. As we surrounded the master bridge builder, we sensed that the two elite ninjas were ready to fight.

A few seconds later, Zabuza disappeared into the now thick fog.

"This is Zabuza, a master in the art of silent killing. By mastering this art, you can kill someone so silent and fast that they don't even have time to react. The Sharingan can't copy this jutsu, so you will have to be on your guard." Kakashi smirked. "Don't worry- the only thing you'll lose if you fail this mission is your life," he joked.

I snorted loud enough for everyone to hear, wherever they were.

"And don't _you guys _worry. We won't _die, _because _we won't fail_," I challenged.

The fog suddenly became thicker, making us lose sight of our sensei. My eyes narrowed. If only we had telepathy at a time like this. In the background, we could hear the rogue ninja smirk. Everyone was amazed, not including me, as he described the eight deadly points of attack on a human body.

"I hate arrogant people like you! You should just die if you're going to be like this!" I shouted out in frustration and anger, averting all attention on me once more.

Zabuza smirked again. "You're feisty for a 12 year old."

"You're arrogant and a jerk for someone that's about twenty or thirty," I retorted.

"Touché, but I have to admit, you aren't bad looking."

A look of disgust coated my face. "Jack off you pedophile," I yelled.

"Azumi, stay out of this," Kakashi ordered. "Zabuza, this is our fight. Don't involve others."

In a moment, the fog cleared away. There was clearly tension in the air, along with pressure. I then noticed the look of going insane on Sasuke's face.

"Sasuke, don't do anything stupid!" I shouted as he slowly reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai. "Sasuke!"

Kakashi must have noticed also, as he reassured us that he'll protect us with his life.

"I'll never let my comrades die. Trust me," he said, giving us a smile. I returned it with a faint smile. "I'll always trust you, Hatake Kakashi," I said.

"I'm afraid that's false, Kakashi," Zabuza said as he disappeared and reappeared behind me and in front of Tazuna. Before he could kill the bridge builder, Kakashi dashed over quickly and stabbed him with a kunai just to have it turn into water.

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi with his blade up high.

"Watch out, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto warned, but the rogue ninja had already brought his sword down, cutting into half of a water clone. To our amazement, the _real _Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza with a kunai to his throat.

"Don't move- our fight is over," he said.

* * *

End of chapter 9! It would make me really happy if my readers would comment! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE (x1000000000)

I would highly appreciate it! THANK YOU TO THOSE THE ONE WHO ALREADY DID! IT HELPS ME BECAUSE IT LETS ME SEE HOW MUCH YOU GUYS ENJOY THE STORY ^^ PLEASE KEEP COMMENTING!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Naruto or its characters. I just own my OC, Azumi, and her moments alone or with Sasuke ;D

YAY! I GOT, LIKE, 6 REVIEWS FROM THE LAST CHAPTER! I'M SO HAPPY! HERE'S YOUR REWARD! :D And for those of you who want some more romance scenes, they're coming budday ;D Trust me, they're coming

* * *

Everything was silent until Naruto leaped into the air with a loud cheer. Zabuza snorted. "I'll never get beaten by a copycat ninja," he sneered, obviously angering Kakashi and me.

"You sure have a big mouth for a master of silent killing," I commented.

"You sure have a big mouth for a little twelve year old," Zabuza snapped. "If you keep on opening it, you might find yourself killed."

"This is our fight, Zabuza. Azumi, stay out of this!" Kakashi said once more. Sasuke shot me a look. "Keep your mouth shut before you get killed, stupid," he said. The look he was giving me felt intense, making me shrunk back. It wasn't annoyed of frustrated, but mixed of concern and anger instead. As the rogue ninja made comments of Kakashi, he slid behind the Jonin and jabbed his back with the handle of his sword. Zabuza managed to kick the silver-haired man into the water. Before he could get back up, the swordsman performed a series of hand seals. Kakashi's expression changed as a water prison formed around him. As Zabuza held one hand into the prison, he informed us about it.

"Even though this prison is made of pure water, it is stronger than steel," he turned towards Kakashi," Now that you're trapped, I might as finish off these little brats."

A water clone sprung up from the water as the person who created it lectured us briefly. "Wearing that headband doesn't make you a ninja. Being near a life and death situation or being in my bingo book does," he said. "Calling you ninjas could be a joke."

The clone disappeared before reappearing and kicked Naruto in the face, knocking off his headband.

"Take Tazuna and run! You can't win against him!" Kakashi shouted from the prison. My eyes narrowed as I shot Kakashi the most intense look ever. My fists balled up as I began shouting.

"If you think this is the time for us to follow your orders, you are wrong Hatake Kakashi. We may be only mere Genin, but we are going to save your life no matter what! We are not going to just abandon our teacher like that!"

"If you don't run, you'll get killed!"

"I don't care if I get killed! I don't care if the others run! I don't care if this is the very last time I get to see anyone else! I am definitely different from those that abandon their comrades. Remember, Kakashi? Remember when we had our first mission with you- the one with the bells? You told us that those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who don't care for their friends are worse than trash! I am not going to abandon my teacher and guardian, the one who took care of me for all of those years I was alone and had nowhere to go! If you're telling me to just abandon you like that, you're calling me someone that's worse that trash!"

Everyone looked taken back, including Zabuza, who showed a glimpse of shock.

"But y… you'll fail the mission."

"They can escape-nothing's holding them back-, but I'm sticking around. They'll finish the mission without me." I then turned towards Zabuza, directly speaking to him now. "By the way, Zabuza Momochi, remember this: I'm just a mere Genin whom name is Mizuko Azumi, but I've got the heart to go out there and get myself killed for the sake of others. I don't care who's in your bingo book, but add me in it because you _best _remember me after this."

That left everyone speechless with the exception of the elite swordsman, who was laughing. "You sure have a way with words," he commented as I stared him down.

"I sure do."

For some reason, he hesitantly took a step back when catching my gaze. Sasuke grabbed my arm before pulling me back to the others. Somehow, I had managed to gotten up to Zabuza close enough without getting hit by his clone.

"You're sure committed to saving your teacher," Tazuna said once I got back. I shook my head before my eyes softened.

* * *

**Third Person POV:**

"I just don't want anyone else to die. In my life, almost everyone who ended with me had bad luck… And I want to change that," Azumi said, leaving everyone curious and shocked, including the two elite ninjas. Zabuza had no idea that the young girl had dealt with the feeling of pain and losing someone you loved dearly. For a 12 year old, she sure had experienced many things in her life. The thing different about them was that she had many that cared about her. People that didn't know she had a tailed-beast in her besides one (I bet you didn't see that one coming!).

Tazuna then gave her a small smile. "After everything so far, I finally trust you, Mizuko Azumi. I believe you are going to protect," he spoke. The 12 year old looked up from the floor before glancing at the old man, smirking. "That's what I wanted to hear," she said.

* * *

**Back to Azumi's POV: **

All of a sudden, Sasuke charged towards Zabuza with a kunai in his hand, earning him a trip flying down to the ground like Naruto had. Sakura and Naruto looked frightened, along with me.

"S-Sasuke, you're such an idiot! Don't come with such a straightforward attack!" I yelled. For the first time, I was actually caring for this jerk.

As he got up, Naruto ran towards Zabuza.

"Don't do it Naruto!" Kakashi yelled from inside the prison. Ignoring him and Sakura, he continued to charge towards the rogue ninja. Not a moment too soon when he got near him, the blond was sent back to the group by Zabuza.

"Why did you do that?" Sakura questioned. Struggling to get up, the blond held up his headband. I smiled faintly. "Like I said earlier, we may be just mere Genin, but we're not giving up," I said. Naruto painfully stood up before approaching Zabuza with words.

"Hey, freak with no eyebrows!" he called out, making me raise an eyebrow.

_Why didn't I think of that?_

"Also put _this _in your bingo book: The one that's going to be the strongest Hokage, the one that never backs down, his name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

My lips formed a smile. _You've really grown, Naruto. Just like me. You really do have a good heart. _

"You've got guts also, kid," Tazuna praised, making the blond grin. I patted him on the back. "And you're going to achieve your dream," I promised.

"I have a plan," he suddenly whispered to Sasuke and me.

* * *

"You really are foolish- not running when you had the choice," Zabuza said. Kakashi took over by telling us the story of a little boy who had to kill in order to become a ninja. He also mentioned about a graduation exam. Naruto looked at them, clueless as I was.

"What is that?" he asked.

Zabuza let out a bone-chilling laugh. Naruto looked confused, as did I. "What's the big deal? It's just a graduation exam! We have one just the same," he said.

"We had to kill our opponents. In the end, friends would have to kill each other to pass in the final exam."

My eyes widened as I took a small step back. This was too much information for me to handle.

_I hope we won't have to do the same in Konoha. I can't kill Naruto or Sakura OR Sasuke._

Kakashi went on about the subject. As we learned more about it, we got more and more scared. It was even worse when we learned that Zabuza easily took down hundreds of ninjas at our age. Before we could comment, his clone suddenly rammed into Sasuke, bringing him to the ground. Zabuza then elbowed him hard in the stomach. All of us watched, terrified, as the Uchiha gave out a loud shout when Zabuza stomped on his chest.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted. I gritted my teeth before charging towards the real Zabuza. As I went, I sent Naruto a look that asked him if he was sure his plan was going to work. He gave a slight nod and I threw several kunais at Zabuza. He grabbed it with his free hand before sending it back at me. I dodged for all of them except one that ended up at my left hand. I skitted back a few steps before making a flip and ending on both of my feet again.

I lifted my left hand, then I suddenly remembered Naruto's promise.

_I vow on this hand that I will release Kakashi, keep my friends safe, and never give up on Tazuna, _I silently thought before taking the kunai out of my flesh. I then returned it to my pouch. The one strained with blood- my blood- will be the sign of my promise.

In an effort to help, Naruto created many clones using his Shadow Clone Jutsu. They all gathered around Zabuza, each with a kunai in their hand. All of them pounced on him, but he easily destroyed them all.

Naruto then tossed something towards Sasuke after announcing that he still had something to beat Zabuza with. Sasuke grabbed it before his face slightly brightened. I smirked after figuring out their plan. Zabuza was going down.

As Sasuke caught the demon wind shuriken, he leaped into the air before throwing it at the freak with no eyebrows. It flew past the water clone and headed towards the real one, who still had his hand in the prison.

"Good idea, but it won't work," he said before catching the shuriken with his free hand. He was shocked to see another shuriken in the shadow of the first.

"This shuriken would never defeat me," he said, leaping into the air over it. Sasuke grinned as I smiled. There was a puff of smoke before the shuriken turned into a blond-haired boy.

The plan had worked.

-----------------

I have to go to school now, so here's the 10th chapter! Keep commenting please! It makes me happy :)


	11. Chapter 11

LOL, to Cereah- I do agree XD It does make Tazuna sound like a little kid when Kakashi told them to go and take Tazuna with them.

I do kind of update fast because I have nothing to do in my boring life after school XD LOL

Anyways, here's the 11th chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

**Third Person's POV**

From behind, Naruto fired a shuriken at the rogue ninja. Due to the shuriken aiming right at him, he quickly pulled his hand out of the prison, releasing Kakashi from it in the process. Before Zabuza could throw the demon wind shuriken at Naruto, Kakashi saw through his trick and grabbed it as Naruto fell into the water. The silver-haired man stared at Zabuza with an angry look. When Naruto returned to the surface of the water, Kakashi praised him for the successful plan.

"You've grown a lot," he added.

"Oh… it's nothing big!" Naruto replied, flattered by Kakashi's compliment. The Genin then told them about his plan and what he thought.

"I was distracted," Zabuza accused.

"You were _forced _to let go," Kakashi corrected. Sakura, Azumi, and Sasuke returned back to their defensive stance around Tazuna.

"How did you know it was Naruto?" Azumi asked Sasuke.

"Feeling," he replied simply.

As the two elite ninjas began their fight once again, they were all unaware that there was a mysterious figure watching them from the trees. Azumi felt that strange feeling again and glanced at Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna. Sakura stared at her, confused at what she wanted. Sasuke paid no attention, nor did he notice. Tazuna was the only one that realized what she was thinking and he looked around for any signs, but found none.

As the battle of the two water dragons ended, Zabuza looked completely puzzled. When the dragon was finished with their part, the rogue ninja ran in a circular motion with Kakashi copying everything he did.

* * *

Kakashi had just finished his Water Vortex Jutsu and pinned Zabuza with four kunais that pierced through his arms and legs. The Jonin leaped from a tree and told declared that Zabuza was finished.

"Can you see into the future?" Zabuza asked once the water passed.

"Yes, and I predict that this will be your last battle."

Before the Jonin could finish him off, a pair of needles soared through the air aiming right at Zabuza. There was a gagging sound before he dropped into the arms of a masked boy.

"You are right; this was Zabuza's last battle," he said. Naruto crawled out of the water angrily and headed towards his comrades. Kakashi knelt down besides the rogue ninja before taking his pulse and confirming he was dead.

"Thank you for your help. I have been tracking him down for quite a time now," the boy continued. Telling by his mask, Kakashi knew that he was a tracker from the Hidden Village of Mist. However, Naruto did not. He was ready to attack the tracker as if an enemy.

"Obviously, you missed a day in class. A tracker is someone that gets hired by the village to hunt down rogue ninjas that know something about the village that they shouldn't," Sakura explained. Azumi suddenly looked flustered. "Um…. I didn't learn that either," she gave a nervous laugh. "I guess I fell asleep in class."

Everyone sweatdropped as the kunoichi looked embarrassed.

"Loser," Sasuke's voice came. A vein began throbbing on Azumi's head as she looked murderously at the Uchiha.

"You are absolutely correctly," the masked boy said. Kakashi processed the boy's appearance. Judging by his voice and size, he was most likely the same age as the Genin, yet he was a skilled assassin. Naruto began yelling at the boy, who didn't respond.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi said. Naruto continued to look flustered because a boy his age took down a rogue ninja with only one move, and he knew that he couldn't accept that.

"It happens! You just have to deal with it. There are kids younger than you that are stronger," Kakashi lectured.

The masked ninja then appeared next to Zabuza, ready to deal with his remains. The tracker then bid the group farewell before disappearing.

"The boy is gone," Kakashi said, adjusting his headband to cover his eye as Naruto ran to the spot where the ninja was. "We must move on." The yellow-clad boy began punching his fist in the air and yelling until he got held by Kakashi, who told him to save his anger for the next battle.

"Our mission still isn't complete because the bridge isn't finished," he said. Tazuna apologized for the trouble and offered them a place to rest in his house in the village.

"Let's move out," Kakashi said, but stopped after taking two steps. Suddenly, he collapsed. His body was still and everything was silent until Azumi broke it.

"Come on, Kakashi. Get up. Stop playing a trick on us," she said, even though she was unsure if he was okay or not. When she didn't get a response, she continued with a joking voice. "Come on, it doesn't fool us anymore." The body was still.

"Kakashi?"

No response.

"Kakashi?!"

The Genin stared at her guardian as her hand slowly made its way to her mouth.

"KAKASHI!!!"

* * *

Sorry if that was a suckish chapter XD I just wanted to update. Besides, this wasn't really a chapter where it's touching and had a lot of Azumi and Sasuke in it. My favorite part in this chapter was when Azumi said she fell asleep during class and everyone was like "What the heck?" XD And by the way, if you hadn't seen the anime, Man, you are sure MISSING OUT! It is so awesome! I just started yesterday, but I love it already. I'm on episode 10 right now ^^ Anyways, please review! Do for Sasuke and Azumi!

Azumi: Well, do it for me! Who cares about Sasuke?

Sasuke: *glares at Azumi*

Azumi: What are you looking at?!

Sasuke: I don't even know.

Azumi: *anime vein* WHY YOU LITTLE-

Ayama Mitsuki: Do it for Azumi and Sasuke!!! And if you want to see more affection ;D


	12. Chapter 12

OK, sorry for the last chapter. I know, it was horrible _ You don't have to rub it in. JK!

THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED/COMMENTED! I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE IT! I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU LIKE MY STORY! :D I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner. Hopefully, I can release another chapter today after this one as an apology.

Oh, and let me warn you that there are three parts.

The first part (the one currently right now) ends after the Chuunin Exam, having Sasuke and Azumi in love with each other, but to stubborn to admit. There are going to be a lot of scenes.

The second part starts after the Chuunin Exam. The 5 go on a special mission. This part ends with Azumi and Sasuke getting together and expressing their feelings for one another. There is jealousy and a love square with 2 clients in the mission.

And the last part starts with Sasuke leaving for power as the prologue. The actual first chapter is when Sasuke starts to return back.

That may have been a little too much information, but I hope you guys like it! ^^ I'm sorry they get together after a long time, but I PROMISE there will be a lot of romance scenes for them! Anyways (, let's have a little chat with Azumi and Sasuke ^^ For some reason, I'm in the "mood" for it, so yea… TIME TO EMBARRASS SASUMI :D (YEA, COUPLE NAME!!!)

Azumi: She's gone crazy.

Sasuke: Loser.

Ayama Mitsuki: HEY! DON'T MESS WITH ME! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU CRY AZUMI, BELIEVE IT!

Naruto: HEY! THAT'S MY LINE!

Ayama Mitsuki: BLAH YOU!

Others: ….

* * *

Lying in bed was Kakashi, who was worn out from using his Sharingan too much. He had just woken up a short moment ago and was encountered by a young, nice woman who had told him to stay in bed. Team 7 then entered along with Tazuna.

"Kakashi-sensei, you should really stop using your Sharingan. It really strains your body," Sakura said. Kakashi shook his head, placing a hand over his forehead.

All of a sudden, Azumi let out an angry cry before attempting to hit the Jonin. With his quick reflexes, Sasuke was able to hold her back before she landed a hit on their sensei. Everyone was startled by the sudden movement.

"YOU IDIOT, HATAKE KAKASHI! DO YOU WANT TO DIE? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BEFORE YOU DO!" she yelled.

Everyone stared at her, some sweat dropping and some scared. Or some were both.

"A… Azumi…?" Kakashi started, unsure if he should be scared or to calm down the raging girl.

"A… Azumi-chan…?" Naruto started also, being one of the ones that were both scared and sweat dropping. "How are you going to _kill _him _before _he _dies_?" he asked densely.

Sakura bonked him on the head head. "You're an idiot, Naruto!" she exclaimed. She then averted her attention towards Kakashi while Azumi started calming down after hitting Naruto also, who was whining that it was unfair.

Sakura started asking him about the masked ninja again.

"He is a member of the Black Ops, or the Inferno Squad. They dispose of every part of a rogue ninja because there may be a possibility that an enemy ninja could study the Ninjutsu, chakra, or medicine used by the specific ninja and learn the village's secrets. For example, if I were to die, an enemy would be able to analyze my Sharingan and use it against the village," Kakashi explained.

* * *

Still in bed, Kakashi had a feeling that there was something wrong. He knew that Zabuza was dead, but there was a strange feeling. "Azumi," he said, causing Azumi to look at him," do you feel anything unusual?" She looked up at the ceiling before looking back at him and shaking her head.

"No, why?" she asked.

"Ne, ne, continue Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto urged.

"A tracker usually deals with bodies right on the spot. Do you remember what the masked boy did with the body?" Kakashi said.

"Um…. I think he took it somewhere," Sakura recalled.

Kakashi thought about it before a moment before asking them another question. "Why didn't he deal with the body quickly on the spot? Unless…."

"Unless what?" Azumi pushed on further.

"Do you remember what weapon he used?" the silver-haired man questioned.

The four Genin thought back to what happened after the battle with Zabuza. "Throwing needles," the young Uchiha answered after pondering about it.

"It just doesn't add up," Kakashi said.

Tazuna spoke. "What are you talking about? You already killed the assassin."

"No, I didn't. Zabuza is still alive," confessed the Jonin.

"EH?!" Naruto and Azumi exclaimed loudly. Sakura and Tazuna couldn't believe it also, but they had more self-control than the two.

"What? I thought you took care of that freak with no eyebrows!" Azumi shouted in distaste.

"How could that be?" Naruto asked.

"You even checked his pulse and confirmed it," Sakura pointed out.

"It was only a temporary death state. The weapons the masked ninja used were a type of throwing needle that will only kill the enemy by hitting the vital organ, not the neck. The body was hit by those needles before getting taken away, which means that there is a possibility that the boy saved Zabuza instead of killing him," Kakashi explained.

"You're over-thinking the situation," Tazuna said, but they all knew that Kakashi's conclusions were correct. To Kakashi's surprise, Naruto actually seemed happy that Zabuza was alive. Azumi, however, was pissed and raged by the fact that the rogue ninja was still living.

_She must really hate him, _Kakashi thought before sighing.

"What do we do now, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "You're still hurt."

Kakashi chuckled before assuring them that he was well enough to train them.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Azumi yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Azumi's right. If you can barely defeat Zabuza, how can we?" Sakura asked.

"Wrong- I was only able to defeat him because of your help," Kakashi spoke. "You have all grown- especially you, Naruto." Azumi smiled faintly before Kakashi added," You improved greatly also, Azumi. You didn't use to be this brave. In fact, you use to goof off and not care as much as you do now." A tint of pink made its way up to her cheeks as her eyes flickered somewhere else in order to avoid looking at anyone directly in the eye.

"YOSH! I will definitely get stronger!" Naruto promised, his fist punching the air.

A boy suddenly appeared. "No you won't," he said bluntly.

"Ah, Inari! This is Inari, my grandson," Tazuna introduced. The boy hugged Tazuna as his mother scolded him for being so rude.

"So? The ninjas will be killed anyways," said Inari.

"What did you say? I'm going to be greater than a super ninja and become the next Hokage! Gato wouldn't even stand a chance against me! I'll be a hero!" the blond haired boy exclaimed.

"I dare you to repeat that, you little punk! Maybe you should think twice before you say something! Who knows- you might end up with a few broken bones!" Azumi threatened, getting held back by Sakura.

"There are no such things as heroes," Inari said. "And you-" he pointed at Azumi-" for a girl, you sure are aggressive. I wonder if you really are a ninja. Ninjas are supposed to be calm and respectful. You're exactly the opposite."

Azumi and Naruto both had a pressure point throbbing on their heads.

"Why you-" Sasuke replaced Sakura in holding Azumi while the pinkie had to pull back the energetic blond.

"If you want to live, then go back to where you came from," the boy said rudely.

"Quit being so negative, will ya? Don't underestimate us! I'll prove you wrong!" Azumi shouted, her eyes darkening and looking fierce. "Get the fact that we're protecting Tazuna into your head!"

"I don't believe you!" shouted Inari before he stormed out of the room.

Azumi glared at the doorway with hating eyes, yet deep down she felt a wave of sorrow. Her face heated up a little.

_I…. Idiot! Heroes do exist! I know it! That's because…., _she face lowered slightly as tears started welling up. She fought the urge of letting them fall, balling up her fist so that her knuckles were turning white, _my parents were my heroes!_

Sasuke noticed this, but said nothing. _What's wrong with her? _he asked himself.

"I'm sorry about my grandson. He's this way sometimes," Tazuna apologized.

* * *

"I'll show him! I'm going to become Hokage!" Naruto mumbled to himself as he climbed up the stairs. As he passed Inari's bedroom, he could hear sniffles and crying. Curious, he peeked through the crack left by the doorway.

The Genin watched as the boy weeps on top of a desk in front of the window, holding a picture of a man. He could hear Inari repeating the word "daddy" over and over again.

A few seconds after Naruto left, Azumi passed by Inari's bedroom. _Stupid, idiot, arrogant, little brat! Such a stupid jerk! I swear I'm gonna beat him up! I'll show him! _She thought.

When she heard the boy weeping, she looked through the crack. After seeing this, her eyes softened. As he continued to repeat "daddy", tears began to fall. Her knuckles tightened and she gritted her teeth.

_You stupid idiot, _she thought.


	13. Chapter 13

OK, here's the 13th chapter! (Wow I made it this far already). I hope you like it! I'm re-watching the beginning of Naruto right now- where this part of the story takes place in the real Naruto. Also, I just finished the Shippuden Movie 2: Bonds. It is awesome! Well, anyways, enjoy!

* * *

In a nearby forest, most of Team 7 were gathered there. Kakashi declared that this was the start of their training, but then noticed that one of their teammate wasn't there.

"Has anyone seen Azumi?" the Jonin asked.

The 3 Genin looked around, but didn't see her anywhere.

"I'm right here!" a voice called from nearby. A girl then emerged from the bushes of the forest.

"Where were you, Azumi-chan?" asked Naruto. "We're about to start our training!"

"Sorry, sorry! I lost track of time," she replied.

The Jounin knew something was wrong. It was that strong telepathy thing they had with each other. He then noticed her eyes were slightly pink and her sleeve had a small wet spot on it.

_Had she been crying? _He asked himself, not taking his eyes off her for a second. He decided to let it slide for now. If he had a chance to ask her something alone, he would know what subject he'd talk about already.

Kakashi started their training by telling them about chakra. Sasuke already knew this, and so did Sakura and Azumi. But Naruto apparently fell asleep when Iruka-sensei taught the class, resulting him not to know that much about it, though he claims he does.

"Of course I know about 'catra'!" he exclaimed.

Azumi sweatdropped, Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued thinking what a loser Naruto was, and Kakashi and Sakura sighed. "It's _chakra, _Naruto," Azumi corrected. "Not _catra_."

Naruto laughed it off. "Of course I knew that!"

"_Sure you did."_

"Explain, Sakura," Kakashi said, signaling for Sakura to start explaining. Once she finished, the blonde-haired boy scoffed.

"That's stupid! We're already using jutsus!" he exclaimed. For once, Sasuke agreed with him. "That's wrong," Kakashi said.

* * *

**SKIP TO THE PART WHERE THEY START TRAINING BECAUSE EXPLAINING TAKES TOO LONG**

* * *

"I can talk all day, but it wouldn't help you improve anything. Here," he threw four kunai near the four Genin. "Mark the highest point where you get to without using your hands to climb. Each time you go, you should aim to get higher than your previous mark. Since you're beginners, run up to the tree to gain momentum. Once you get used to it, the rest will come naturally."

Plucking a kunai from the ground, he grinned and pointed it to Kakashi, who was upside down on a tree branch. "This'll be easy for me, since I'm the one who improved the most!" he yelled.

"Well, you definitely are the ninja that talks the most," Kakashi muttered under his breath and he watched his students.

"And since I improved greatly too, I'll completely without a sweat!" Azumi exclaimed.

"Don't forget her too," mumbled the Jonin.

The four of them began to concentrate chakra at their feet and prepared to run. Naruto went first. He only made it to two steps before he stopped and fell on his head. Azumi cringed. _That has got to hurt, _she thought. Sasuke went up next, making it to 12 steps. Azumi got ready. Then she raced to the tree and up.

* * *

She stopped, marked her place, and landed onto the ground. On her arm.

"Owwwwww!" she groaned, pushing herself up from the ground and into a sitting position. "I think I broke it," she said, her eyes slightly twitching.

"Stupid," Sasuke insulted.

"Shut up!"

As Naruto continued rolling on the floor and Azumi looked up at the tree, Kakashi thought over their performance. _That was expected from all three of them, _he thought.

"This is actually fun!" a voice laughed from high above. They all looked up to see the pink haired girl sitting on a tree branch high at the top of the tree. "It seems like Sakura has the best chakra control," Kakashi stated.

"Wow, Sakura-chan! That's amazing! You are really-"but Sakura wasn't paying attention to Naruto. She was too busy drooling over a certain Uchiha. She then got annoyed when he didn't pay much attention to her. "Who cares? She probably cheated," Azumi said aloud. A pressure point began throbbing on Sakura's head.

"I did not cheat! How do you cheat anyways?" she yelled.

Azumi stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms, making Sakura even more annoyed. "You know, Naruto, Sakura has an even better chance at becoming Hokage than you right now," Kakashi edged. "Azumi, you won't be able to find that person and protect everyone either if you don't master chakra control. And the Uchiha clan might not be so great after all."

Sakura started yelling t Kakashi, saying that Sasuke won't like her now. Kakashi is happy that he had motivated the three Genin. He knew why the three had trouble with this exercise. All three of them wield more chakra than a normal person does. Naruto had the Kyuubi, Sasuke was an Uchiha, and Azumi…. She has the mysterious and powerful secret weapon inside of her. It may even surpass the Kyuubi's power.

Unknown to them, a little boy was watching. A picture flashed in his head before he left the scene.

* * *

Back in the forest, Sasuke, Azumi, Naruto, and Sakura were all exhausted.

_How much stamina do those three have? _Sakura asked herself, sneaking a glance at her teammates. She watched as Naruto kneeled over in pain, sweat dripping all over his face and onto the ground as he panted heavily.

_He's the worst at training, _she realized. _He'll probably just throw a tantrum and quit soon._

Her eyes catch sight of the highest mark Naruto had made so far. It was a little above his head. Just as Sakura predicted, Naruto began to throw a tantrum. Sakura complimented herself on how well she knew Naruto when he walked over to her. She was shocked to find out his purpose was to ask her some tips about how she did it. Azumi stared at them before starting to climb again.

_Come on! You can do this! _She screamed in her head.

* * *

It was now sunset and all three of them were worn out. Naruto was frustrated about the exercise, claiming that it was too hard. Azumi was now about tied to Sasuke. The white-haired girl dropped to her knees, ignoring the exhaustion that was about to take over. But she could do this.

_I'll finish this up soon! _She promised. The three of them looked up at the trees. Their gaze landed on each other before they stared each other down.

"I won't lose to both of you!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at his teammates. The three Genin then charged towards their trees. Naruto climbed a decent amount before marking it off. When his feet landed onto the ground, he noticed that Sasuke and Azumi were still going. Sasuke realizes that they were gaining on him. Sasuke then came to his limit and marked it before pushing himself off and into the air, then landing onto his two feet. The two boys watched as Azumi continued running.

_Keep going! You're almost there! _She screamed.

Just when Sasuke and Naruto thought she was going to make it, Azumi was at her limit and marked her height before jumping down, leaving the two stare in awe.

_She's so close, _they both thought. Looking back up at the tree, Azumi noticed that it only took a couple more until she reached the top. Naruto decided that it was his turn again. Taking two steps, he was determined to finish this once and for all. That was until Sasuke stopped him by calling out his name, resulting in Naruto falling onto his face. Azumi cringed. _That has got to hurt! I guess this just isn't your day, Naruto, _she thought.

"Hey, no fair! You made me lose focus!" Naruto accused with a pressure point throbbing against his head. As she watched, Azumi sweatdropped. Sasuke was hesitant, but he asked anyways. "Um… what did… Sakura tell… *ahem*you?" he asked, trying to play it cool.

Naruto's face twisted from confusion into a goofy grin.

"Not. Gonna. Tell. You," he sneered. Sasuke's eyes began twitching. The two had a glare down as Azumi's eyes twitched and she had many sweat drops.

_Whoa….. that must have took a lot of pride from him, _Azumi thought. With a sigh, Azumi started her trip up the tree again, vowing to finish it all on this trip.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto watched as Azumi ran higher and higher, passing her previous mark. She made it to the top! With a leap, she landed onto the top surface of the tree. She closed her eyes and smiled into the sky. The cool breeze felt amazing against her skin, which was covered in sweat.

"She actually made it!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Dang it," Sasuke said. Despite the small wave of jealousy, he felt happy for- WAIT A MINUTE.

_I'm an Uchiha. I can't be falling for such a clumsy girl, _he thought. But he didn't know the amazing power she held deep inside her.

A wave of pleasure was sent throughout her body. "Yes, finally! I did it!" she yelled into the sky, having enough strength to lift up her arms. From below, Sasuke couldn't help but slightly smile.

_Guess you did do it after all. Now it's my turn._

* * *

I hope you guys like it! Review please!


	14. Chapter 14

I began working on this chapter fast because I'm inspired. I'm watching the beginning of Naruto again and I'm pumped! WHOO! I forgot how much I loved it before the Sasuke incident. I love it how they're all together! Oh, and this is the fluffy and cozy, sweet scene you have all been waiting for! A totally Sasuke and Azumi moment! And is it me, or does it seem that _Sasuke is starting to like Azumi _in this chapter ;D That's why it's so long.

Sasuke: Does not!

Azumi: Dude, no need to deny it.

Sasuke: Who would like someone like you?

Azumi: Why you lit-

Me: SHUSH! *turns to the readers* I hope you all enjoy ^^

* * *

Everyone was seated for dinner.

"It's been a while since we've had so many guests!" Tazuna exclaimed happily. Naruto and Sasuke were having a chow-down. It was as if they were racing to see who ate the most in the least amount of time. Once they both finished, they stuck out their bowls in unison. "Seconds, please!" they both shouted. Their faces soon turned to a sickish green color before they began barfing.

Watching the scene, Azumi began choking on her food.

"Seriously! Don't eat if you're just going to puke it back up!" Sakura scolded.

"No, I'll eat," Sasuke said.

"I need to eat more than Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed as the two had another glare down.

"I'm just hungry because I used a lot of my energy while training!" Azumi reasoned.

"It's true that food will give you energy. But it doesn't help if you just puke it back up or choke," Kakashi stated. "It can kill you."

Azumi was dead-panned. Her eye began twitching. _I don't want to die…._

* * *

The mood was now calmer than before. Everyone was sitting quietly at the table, except for Tsunami- the mother- who was washing the dishes and Sakura, who was looking around. She then noticed a torn picture. "Who's this person that's torn from the picture?" asked Sakura. "And why was Inari looking at it the whole time during dinner?"

The atmosphere immediately tensed up, and Team 7 sensed that. "That's my husband," Tsunami said, not bothering to turn around to face them. "People used to call him a hero," Tazuna added. In one swift motion, Inari got up and left the table.

"Inari, where are you going?" asked his mother. Ignoring her question, the young boy opened the door and exited the room. Tsunami began to go after him. Once she opened the door, she turned back to face the others. "Father, I told you not to bring that up whenever Inari's near!" she scolded angrily before leaving the room. Tazuna is shaken up slightly.

"Who is he?" Sakura asked.

"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked.

Tazuna slightly nodded before starting. "That man isn't Inari's real father, but they were very close. Back in the days, Inari would laugh and smile." As he continued, he began to cry. "But now, he never does anymore. It ended all in one day. The word 'courage' was stolen from our island ever since _that _day. And Inari was affected the most."

"Can you please tell us what happened?" asked Kakashi.

"I'll first describe Inari's father with the word courage. He was the man who taught that word to the whole town. He was a true hero," Tazuna continued.

"A hero?" Naruto butted in.

"Yes, a hero. Inari's father came to us three years ago." They all listened carefully as Tazuna told them about _the incident. _

"Ever since that day, Inari, Tsunami, and the people of this village has never been the same. They all lost hope," Tazuna finished. Azumi was shaking violently, her eyes wide opened and in shock. Her fist was clamped tightly together. Only Kakashi and Sasuke seemed to notice.

_It sure does bring back memories, _Kakashi thought.

_What's wrong with her? _Sasuke asked.

Naruto and Azumi then remembered what Inari had said earlier.

"_There are no such things are heroes."_

Naruto then got up and walked 3 steps before collapsing.

"What're you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I told you not to push yourself," Kakashi reminded. "You used too much chakra. Move anymore and you'll be killed."

Struggling to stand, Naruto grinned. "I'll prove there are real heroes in this world! Believe it!"

* * *

**The Next Morning**

* * *

"Good morning, everyone," Sakura greeted before sitting down at the table. As Tsunami passed out a cup of tea to everyone, they all heard a loud crashing sound nearby inside the house. "What was that?" Sakura asked.

"Wait for it….," Kakashi said. Just as he predicted, a loud yell could be heard throughout the house. It was amazing that anyone could still stay asleep after hearing that.

"Azumi….," Sasuke guessed. Kakashi sent him a nod, meaning he was right.

"OWWWWWWWWW! AW COME ON!" a voice erupted. In stormed Azumi, who was cranky because she had a huge bump on her head.

"Did you fall down the stairs?" Kakashi asked.

"YES, ACTUALLY, I DID!" bellowed the Genin. Kakashi slightly leaned back.

"How do you fall down the stairs if you're a ninja?" asked Sakura.

"When you're sleepy and could barely get enough sleep last night," answered Azumi. Tsunami went to go fetch an ice pack. "I guess I'm still right. Even though you're a determined ninja, you're still clumsy," Tazuna replied.

A pressure point began throbbing against her head. "What did you say, old man?" she asked annoyed. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Dumbass," he insulted.

As they continued with their conversation, it soon led to ask where Naruto was. Sasuke and Sakura volunteered the idea that he was dead, but Kakashi denied it.

Meanwhile, Naruto was now awake in the forest and was talking to a girl that he claims to be prettier than Azumi and Sakura. The girl, after talking to him, left. _She _and Sasuke passed each other, but Sasuke was oblivious to who she was, so he didn't bother to care. Once he found Naruto, the Uchiha gave him a good hit in the head. "Idiot… did you forget about breakfast?"

* * *

Sakura, Azumi, and Kakashi were now standing in the forest. "Naruto! Where are you?" Sakura called. "Naruto!" Azumi yelled. "Come out wherever you are!"

Sakura gave her a strange look. "This isn't hide and seek."

"Whatever!"

From above, a kunai then sailed by and plunged into the Earth. The three looked up to find Naruto sitting on top of a tree branch. He felt flattered and embarrassed when Sakura started praising him. Azumi smiled. _It looks like you did it, Naruto. Good job._

The blonde-haired boy then stood up. "Hehe, I did it!" he exclaimed.

All of a sudden, he lost his footing and slipped. The three watched as he began to fall and……. Attack his feet upside down on the branch!

"Baka, you made me worried!" Sakura yelled angrily, but she also felt a wave of relief flow throughout her body. Azumi sighed before her relief expression turned into a smile. "Nice one, Naruto!" she complimented, giving him a thumbs up. Unlike the others, she thought it was fun whenever Naruto pulled a new prank. Unless it was on her. Then she'd give him a good beating.

Kakashi sighed in relief, but a thought was nagging on him. _Something bad is going to happen._

The Jonin was right. The three watched as Naruto's feet got disconnected with the wood and started to fall. With her quick reflexes, Azumi raced up to Naruto's branch and grabbed both of his feet by using her chakra and concentrating it at her feet. Everyone sighed in unison. But then Azumi's feet lost contact and she began falling. She released one of her hands from Naruto's ankle and aimed it for the tree just to miss. Out of nowhere, Sasuke rushed up another and jumped onto the same tree. He was just in time to grab Azumi's hand.

"You two are so stupid," he said, acting his usual cool self.

"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto and Azumi yelled.

"Amazing, Sasuke-kun! You're so cool!" Sakura complimented.

_Jeez, you guys, _Kakashi thought as he sighed, but then he smiled. _You've gotten much better._

* * *

It was now dinner time in Tazuna's house. Everyone was gathered there except for Sasuke and Naruto, who were still training. "They're late," Sakura stated. "Jeez….."

A second after she said that, the door was kicked open and in came the two boys, one supporting the other. "What's with you two? You're all dirty and tired," Tazuna said. Sasuke shifted his gaze in order to avoid any eye contact- just to look cool- and Naruto lifted his head, showing a grin. "We both made it to the top," he announced.

"OK," Kakashi said, drawing everyone's attention on him," Naruto, Sasuke, you will start being Tazuna's bodyguards tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, shooting his hand into the air. The force caused him to knock down both him and Sasuke onto the floor.

"Loser," he insulted. Everyone started laughing with the exception of Inari. Azumi and Sasuke locked eyes for a moment before Azumi smiled. Sasuke shifted his gaze, but couldn't help but do the same. Her smile was contagious.

* * *

Everyone's plates were now empty and Tsunami was washing the dishes like she always did. As Tazuna spoke to Kakashi, Inari was staring at Naruto and Azumi the whole time. The two goofy ninjas were arguing with Sasuke. He had just insulted them about something and Sakura was on his side like always. Thinking about Kaiza, his father, again, tears started to form.

"Why….," he started, capturing all of their attention," why do you try so hard? You can't beat Gato's men even if you train!" Azumi's fist started tightening and her expression turned dark; you can't see her eyes. "No matter how hard you try…… no matter how hard you say those words…… WEAK PEOPLE ALWAYS LOSE AGAINST THE STRONG."

Before Naruto could reply, Azumi beat him to it. She slammed her fist onto the table hard. "Shut up, you little brat…………. Is that really what you believe?" When she didn't get an answer, her eyes flashed at Inari. "Well do you?"

Inari continued the waterworks. "Yes! You and Naruto are always joking around! You're never serious!" Her head lowered until you couldn't see her eyes again. "How do you know anything about losing a loved one?" Inari yelled. Then it snapped.

"I know everything about losing a loved one!" she exploded, taking everyone back. "Listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once: If you're going to tell someone something, make sure you know them. And you better be able to do something if you're going to tell them! You can't do anything and you don't know me at all. What do you know about me?"

"Stop it, Azumi," Kakashi ordered, but she went on.

"You don't know what it truly means to lose someone important. You're actually lucky…….. because you remember what it's like to be with them." Everyone's eyes were wide. Nobody except Kakashi knew this about her. "Next time when you have something to say, you better prove you can do something useful first."

With that, Azumi stood up and left the house.

* * *

Dinner was now over and Inari was sitting alone out at the deck when he heard some footsteps coming his way. It was Kakashi. The Jonin sat down next to him. "Azumi can be a little harsh sometimes," he admitted. "But she doesn't hate you." Hesitantly, he revealed to Inari that Tazuna told them about his father. He then looked up at the sky.

"You know…. Naruto and Azumi grew up without a father. Well, Naruto didn't know any of his parents. Azumi's were killed a long time ago right in front of her eyes. And she can't even remember them clearly. Nothing about her past life at all. Only the fact that the night her parents were killed was the night that changed everything. Naruto didn't have any friends. Azumi didn't have anyone except for me. But once they found each other, they were best friends. That was because they knew what it was like to be alone. The Hokage told me that when she was small, she would move to different places and different countries. Nobody liked her because she held something dangerous. They were all scared. The same for Naruto. But they're always smiling."

By now, Inari was paying attention.

"I've never seen any of them cry, sulk, or give up. Naruto is always eager, and his dream is to be respected. Azumi is always positive and she's always trying to protect her friends, no matter how much she has to deal with. They'd put their life on the line. I suppose they got tired of crying because they figured out it didn't do any better. They know what it means to be strong…. Like your father." Inari's little eyes widened.

"I admit, what Azumi said was a little cruel. But she's probably saying that thousands of times to herself."

The young began to understand what he was supposed to do.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was outside looking for Azumi. He was on the verge of giving up and looked up at the moon to see Azumi sitting on a high tree branch. _Azumi, _he realized and began climbing. At the top, Azumi noticed that someone was coming, but didn't bother to move or look down. Her gaze was fixed on the moon. "You should get back now," he informed.

His eyes caught sight of the painful expression she held on her face. He hesitated, but asked her what was wrong. She shook her head slowly. "Nothing….," she barely whispered.

"It's clearly something," Sasuke replied.

Giving in because she wasn't in the mood to argue, Azumi sighed. Taking that as a signal, the Uchiha made himself comfortable on the branch.

"You're the second person that I've ever told this," she announced. He nodded for her to start. "My parents were killed by a man right in front of my eyes." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.

"And I don't even remember who that man was. It's always nagging me. I saw his face, but I just can't remember it. I was walking home one night and entered my house. Everything was silent, but I was too small to find it suspicious. The lights were out. There was no one in the kitchen. They weren't in the living room either. So I checked upstairs. I noticed that my parents' bedroom door was slightly opened. When I went in, I saw a man tying my parents by a rope. My little brother was held by his collar. The man asked me where the ring was, but I didn't know what he was talking about. He told me to give him the ring that was on my hand, but my parents didn't want me to. So I said no. Then he killed my brother. He told me to give it to him once more, but I didn't. Then he killed my parents right in front of my eyes. He told me to find him and show me my ultimate power. And that's how the story ends."

Azumi's head turned to face Sasuke. "If only I made the right decision, then I could have saved all three of them." The Uchiha knew that Azumi wanted to cry, but she had too much pride to do it in front of him.

"Azumi," he spoke. The girl looked at him. "You don't have to hold it in anymore. It's too hard for you."

Slowly, her eyes started watering. Then she threw herself at him. She couldn't hold it in anymore. First, he was shocked and didn't know what to do. His arms then slowly wrapped around her. And he found himself starting to fall for her.

* * *

After about half an hour of being with him, Azumi finally fell asleep. The Uchiha was carrying her bridal style back to her room.

_She suffered even more than me. She thinks it's her fault that her family was killed. She saw them get killed. And she was there to witness it all. That's way more powerful than me. I didn't see anyone die. Even if my whole clan was killed, she witnessed everyone's death. And worst of all, it's her fault, _Sasuke thought. He quietly snuck into her room and placed her onto the bed. He then draped the blanket over her as he gazed at her face.

Then he left.

* * *

SORRY IF IT SUCKED

LOL XD

But still, you learned about her family, the dilemma, and all of that. And of course Sasuke is starting to fall for her ;D Either this was the highlight or when Sasuke almost dies _

By the way, I think the song for whenever Azumi mentions her past should be the music box version of Hyousa Rurutia. So just got to Youtube and type in Hyousa Rurutia [music box] and that'll be enough! It's the one with the clouds and the word written on it. Anyways, please tell me what you think by either messaging me or by reviewing! THANK YOU MY READERS!


	15. Chapter 15

Glad you guys liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too. There isn't much romance in this one, so it's okay if you skip it. It fits with the story though, so…… yeah. XD

ENJOY PEEPZ!

* * *

Morning comes and Tazuna, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke were setting off to go to the bridge. "I am leaving Naruto to you. He's probably still exhausted from the training," Kakashi told Tsunami.

"Will it be all right?" Tsunami asked.

Kakashi gave her his famous smile that meant "everything-will-be-all-right". "It'll be fine," he reassured.

"We should get going," Tazuna informed. With a worried expression on her face, Tsunami watched the four leaving and heading towards the bridge. _Something's not right, _she thought. _Azumi is nowhere to be found._

Sasuke also noticed this detail and couldn't help but be slightly worried about her safety and whereabouts. _Where did she go now? _He asked himself. _That girl…. She's always worrying me. _He pondered about the thought a bit more before assuring himself that she was probably fine. _She'll come back eventually. Hopefully, she doesn't bring any trouble with her._

* * *

A while later, Naruto was leaping from tree to tree, angered by the fact that no one had woken him up. "Man, did they have to leave me?" he mumbled himself, annoyed. "They could have woken me up. If they could do that, they could have at least waited for me."

A few minutes passed and the sight that was among him was quite odd. It was a dead boar with plenty of blood. Ironically, Azumi happened to pass by the scene as well. As her brain comprehended what she saw, she stopped and landed on the floor swiftly on her feet. The two locked gazes. They were both thinking the same thing. _What happened?_

Then everything clicked in both of their brains. It was almost the same thing with Azumi and Kakashi's telepathy.

Meanwhile at the bridge, the four stopped at the scene in front of them. The workers were all on the ground, either doubling over in pain, kneeling, or were unconscious. "W-What happened?" Sakura stammered. Sasuke and Kakashi, being the observing ones, swept over the scene.

Without a sign, a thick fog covered up the surrounding area.

"Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi warned. Nodding and understanding, the two gathered around Tazuna with a kunai in each hand. Kakashi suddenly smirked. "I was waiting for our battle," he said. "I can't wait until we fight."

"Is it Zabuza?" Sakura asked aloud, though she knew the answer already. She then asked about the Hidden Mist Jutsu.

"Sorry for keeping you wait. I see you still have those brats around you. Where's the loud blonde one and the fierce white-haired girl?" the Rogue Ninja spoke. Seeing Sasuke tremble, he smirked and created several water clones. Sasuke then smirked as he spoke. "I'm trembling," he admitted. "But I'm trembling with excitement."

After receiving permission to attack from his sensei, Sasuke easily defeated the water clones with his kunai. Though Zabuza commented on the Genin being able to see that they were water clones, he had to admit that the Uchiha had improved. Unknown to them, Zabuza had snuck a clone behind Sakura. But it was too late when Sasuke realized it.

"Sakura!" Sasuke warned, but he was too late.

The pink-haired kunoichi turned around and prepared for the impact, but there was none. Instead, a blur or white and black were seen. Sakura's eyes widened. One of her comrades had just saved her. It was Azumi. Sure, Sakura was impressed that Azumi had just saved her from getting injured, but now her savior was complaining about how her foot was stuck in the wood of the WOODEN flooring. Azumi may have managed to destroy the water clone, but she had jumped down from the sky with too much force, resulting into her stuck foot.

"Stupid wood!" she exclaimed.

Sakura watched in disbelief. _Lame like Naruto, _she thought, sweat dropping.

Sasuke, who had been watching, began twitching. _A….Azumi… you really are…. An idiot, _he thought.

When she finally was able to pry her leg out, she adjusted her headband and grinned like nothing had happen. "Hehe, Mizuko Azumi is here!" she announced.

_Oh brother, _Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi thought.

A young boy then stepped up from behind Zabuza. "Haku, I think you've found yourself an opponent," Zabuza said eerily.

Haku nodded. And the others prepared to battle.

Zabuza gave Haku the signal. All of a sudden, the young boy spun like a tornado and headed towards the Uchiha.

Azumi gaped in disbelief. "Hey, that's not fair! You get to have all the fun!" she accused. The next thing they knew, she joined in on the fight.

* * *

"I already have two advantages over you," Haku suddenly announced.

"And what would that be?" Azumi asked.

"One- there is water on the ground. My specialty is using water and ice. And two- I've already occupied one of your companion's hands."

With one hand, he performed a series of hand seals and stomped in a nearby puddle. The water splash transformed into needles. "Secret Jutsu: Flying Water Needles," he said before sending them all straight towards the Uchiha and jumped out of the way before the impact. Azumi panicked, but remained her cool posture. Her eyes just widened, but they returned to normal a few seconds later along with a smirk. Once the explosion cleared, Sasuke was there standing tall and proud like he was.

"I should know that something like that shouldn't kill you," she said to him before turning towards Haku. Her smirk widened. "You should also know that we also have two advantages," she announced.

Even though he was wearing a mask, she could tell he was curious. "What would that be?" he asked.

She held up one finger at him. "Number one, it's two against one: Sasuke and me. And number two, you're not the only one who can control water."

Using the water from the ground, she created a spinning sphere around her. "That's because I can too," she added with a grin. Her fighting partner watched. _She's getting too cocky. Then again, she's right, _he thought. _Wait a minute…… she can control water? How? I never knew._

Though they couldn't tell because of his mask, Haku was actually surprised. But he said," Good. I like a challenge. I'm going to win though."

Azumi smirked. Sasuke mimicked her actions as she began talking again. "Don't get too cocky," she said.

Their fight continued for a while until Haku decided it was time. He let out a sudden chilling aura and performed a series of hand seals once again. "Secret Jutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors," he said. Several mirrors appeared and surrounded the two of them in a dome-shaped area. Kakashi noticed the change and quickly rushed to help them. But before he could go further than two feet, Zabuza interfered.

_If I go to help them, Zabuza can go and get Tazuna from Sakura, _Kakashi thought. _Sasuke, Azumi- hold on._

* * *

Inside the dome, the competition was still on. The two kept getting cut repeatedly by the needles Haku kept firing. Seeing this, Sakura picked up her crush's dagger and drew it to him inside the dome. Unfortunately, their opponent caught it instead. Azumi growled and clenched her teeth together. "We're never going to get out of here," she said.

She didn't get a reply, but left it like that. The Uchiha was probably thinking about a plan. Not only did they had plenty of cuts and bruises, but they were exhausted too. To make it even worse, Naruto decided to jump in, thinking it would help.

It didn't.

"What the heck, Naruto? Why did you jump in?" Azumi exclaimed.

"You're such a dobe," Sasuke muttered loud enough for the blonde to hear.

"Shut up, teme!" came his reply.

* * *

Before they knew it, it was time that someone was getting knocked out of the fight. And that person that Haku chose was going to be Azumi. He had a trick up his sleeve. Though the girl was pretty smart and quick on her feet, she did things without thinking about it. That was one thing the masked boy had figured out. And that was an advantage. The three were exhausted. Unknown that he was being targeted, Naruto collapsed onto the floor with both arms supporting him up.

Haku performed his secret jutsu once more and aimed it towards Naruto. Apparently, Azumi sensed this and jumped in front of her best friend. Sasuke and Naruto watched in horror and shock as the needles pierced through her skin. Pain seared through Azumi.

"Azumi!" Naruto called out.

"Azumi!" Sasuke mimicked. He quickly rushed over to her and caught the young girl in his arms before setting her on the ground. Naruto clenched his teeth together.

Using the last of her strength, Azumi's lips slowly formed into a smirk. Sasuke balled up his fist. "Dang it, Azumi! Wake up!" Naruto screamed, tears starting to well up near his eyes.

"Forget it, Naruto. She can't hear you," Sasuke said softly.

The tears that gathered near his eyes began to fall. "It's all my fault! I promise I'll avenge you, Azumi! You're my best friend! I promise!" he yelled.

Outside, Sakura stared at the dome of ice mirrors. "I wonder what's happening inside," she whispered softly. Tazuna heard this and gave her a pat on the back. "I bet everything's fine," he said. "We'll see what'll happen later."

But what they didn't know was he was wrong.

Way wrong.

But still, that's not the end of it.

* * *

How many of you think that Azumi is dead? *sees several hands shoot up*

Of course she's not dead! :D If she was, I wouldn't be able to create the other parts. LOL.

Anyways, tell me what you think by reviewing/commenting. Message me too if you want to talk privately ^^ I didn't really know how to add Azumi into the fighting parts, so I guess that sucked XD But still, stay tune!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello again my fellow readers! I enjoy your reviews- I really do-, but many have been rushing me like 'hurry up' and 'post up the next chapter already'. I'm glad you like my stories, but rushing doesn't really help. So still review, but please just don't rush me ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. I just own my OC, Azumi. **

Darkness; that was what Azumi saw.

Nothing; that was what Azumi felt.

The sound of someone going mad; that was what Azumi heard.

In reality, about ten minutes had passed by. But in her mind, it seemed like eternity.

Azumi's eyes slowly fluttered opened. She waited for her vision to clear and there was Naruto. But something was weird about him. Extremely weird. His back was to her, but a menacing red chakra engulfed him. Somehow, the chakra seemed familiar to her. But she couldn't figure it out. A thought then struck her.

What had happened when she was unconscious?

Sasuke was nowhere in sight- or at least not where she was looking at. Azumi started to slowly push herself up from the ground. Naruto appeared to be looking at Haku. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the hatred and angst. With one last blink, her vision was focused. And she was just in time to see Haku's mask fall off.

The now unmasked boy began telling a story about his past. Azumi and Naruto listened to it, feeling pity for him. They didn't know he had such a bad past.

It almost reminded them of... them.

"Now... please kill me."

Those 4 words sent a chill down Azumi and Naruto's spine.

"No." Naruto's face darkened. "I won't kill you. Why do you want me to kill you?"

Azumi sensed the sudden change in atmosphere- or at least on Haku's side. It turned... sadder. She couldn't describe it, but she knew that he was somehow hurt.

"Zabuza-san no longer needs me. What is my purpose without him?" Haku spoke. "I didn't do what he needed me to do. That means I don't have a reason to live anymore."

"Fine."

Azumi and the feminine boy looked surprisingly at Naruto.

"What?" she hissed. "What's he thinking?

Without another word, the blonde haired boy charged full speed ahead with a dagger. When the knife was only about a foot away from Haku's heart, he grabbed Naruto's hand before disappearing, leaving Azumi and Naruto dumbstruck.

_What happened? _They both pondered. _Where'd he go?_

When the mist finally cleared up, Sakura, Naruto, and Azumi saw Haku in front of Zabuza.

And the sight wasn't pretty.

The three Genin knew that the boy was dead because he took a deadly hit from Kakashi in order to protect his master. Kakashi picked up and brought Haku to another place while dodging attacks from the swordsman.

As the two continued to fight, Naruto had went over to help Azumi up. Sakura ran over to her teammates alongside with Tazuna.

"Naruto, Azumi, are you okay?" the pink haired kunoichi asked.

Her companions nodded.

"That's good. And where's Sasuke-kun?"

The thought occurred to Azumi too. She hadn't seen for a while now. The last time was before she had blacked out.

"Yeah, Naruto. Where's the annoying Uchiha?" Azumi urged.

When he didn't answer, the other three knew that something was wrong. "Naruto, where is the Uchiha?" Tazuna repeated, but all he got back was silence.

Then Sakura saw it: Sasuke was lying on the floor unconscious with nearly twenty needles pierced through his skin. She was terrified, along with Azumi and Tazuna.

The cherry blossom ran over to the Uchiha pulling Tazuna along with her.

When she reached him, it was too much for her.

She lost it. Tears started to trail down her face, one after another.

Naruto soon carried Azumi to the same spot. Sakura wasn't the only one that was heart broken. The white haired kunoichi realized it now- she liked him. She actually liked him. Despite all those time where he would make fun and criticize her, it was his own little way of showing her he actually cared. And now he was gone.

A tear slid down her face, but she wiped it away.

Naruto noticed this, but remained silent. It was the least he could do since he was one of the cause of the result of the event.

He also knew it was the best choice during a time like this.

He had to admit it too: Sasuke did play an important role in his life.

_I couldn't save him, _Azumi thought as memories of her family flooded into her brain along with pictures of Sasuke's death. _Just like I couldn't save my family. I'm just a jinx- an unlucky piece of trash that can't protect anyone important to me._

But unknown to them, another round of trouble will be starting soon- because Gato's man had just showed up.

**OK, I thought it was a very, very, very... emotional chapter. Review please!**


	17. Chapter 17

Everything that happened in the next five minutes was something they would never _ever _forgot in their whole lifetime. Zabuza had finally killed Gatou before dying next to Haku. What made him change? Naruto's emotional, and true words.

That brings them to Sasuke, who had just recently woken up. While Sakura explained everything to him, his attention was clearly directed towards Azumi. She was glaring at him the way she usually did when she was annoyed or angered. But for some reason, this made him smile.

Just a little.

Deciding to tease her a bit, he smirked, saying," It looks like little Azumi was worried about me."

Azumi, being herself, had a pressure point and made a face. She crossed her arms across her chest and stuck out her tongue at him, making him chuckle inaudibly. He didn't know why, but just looking at Azumi cleared everything in his mind.

Even the fact that he had been in a state of death just a moment ago.

Of course, the peaceful moment didn't last long.

It never did.

Gatou's men suddenly started to get frustrated. From the looks of it, it was as if they wanted revenge.

_After all they did to us, _Azumi thought. _If they want a fight, we'll give them a fight!_ She was finally back to her old self, and she knew why. Of course, no one was supposed to know it was because of the Uchiha she was supposed to hate.

The following five minutes also passed by fast. Inari finally had the courage. He had gathered the whole people of the town and they were ready to fight. Together, Kakashi and Naruto made more than a hundred shadow clones.

That was enough to scare Gatou's army away. They evacuated immediately once they saw what they were up against.

Who wouldn't?

The whole town cheered once their enemy retreated, "We did it! We won!" one man shouted happily!

"We're finally free from Gatou!"

The mood was lifted almost immediately. It soon got to Naruto and Azumi, who began cheering and dancing. Kakashi, however, still thought there was something else.

"Don't celebrate just yet," the silver haired man announced. "There's still something we have to do." His four students looked at him questionably. "What is that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"You will find out soon."

**On the top of the Mountains**

"That's it," Sakura said as Naruto pushed the sword down onto a pile of dirt. "We're finished," Azumi said quietly. Sure, Zabuza and Haku were their enemies. She still wanted them to live since they actually had some good in them. She let out a sigh.

"I guess that's life," she whispered.

"Sure is," Kakashi agreed. "But that's what happens when you have money, greed, and ninjas."

"I've always wondered what it would be like if there weren't any ninjas," Sakura spoke up. "There'll still be bad things out there."

Naruto let out a weird laugh. "No matter what, I'll live my life with no regrets and follow my way of the ninja! I'll promise you that!" Azumi and Sakura grinned while Kakashi and Sasuke slightly smiled.

_This is the perfect ending after an intense battle, _Azumi thought.

"When we get back to Konoha, our training will start once again!" Kakashi announced happily. The four Genin gawked (you know Sasuke does that sometimes too).

"**WHAT**?" they all yelled.

"You crazy old man!" Azumi grumbled.

A few days later, the bridge was finally complete.

"Yay! We're going home!" Azumi exclaimed loudly. "I'm so excited! We just finished our first mission! It was soooooo cool! When we get back, I'm going to tell everyone about it!"

As the white haired kunoichi coninued rambling on, her other three teammates sweat dropped.

"Don't forget, we start the training the day right after we return," Kakashi reminded.

That was enough to bring down her happiness level. "Way to ruin the mood, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura muttered. They walked down the path of the Great Naruto Bridge. The villagers waved good-bye as the five ninjas slowly drifted away. "Bye! Thank you for all the great things you've done to help us!" Tazuna called with Inari standing by his side.

"Bye Naruto-niichan! Bye Sakura-neechan! Bye Sasuke-nii! Bye old lady in the white!" he yelled.

Azumi had a pressure point. "What did you say, you little punk?" she shrieked. Kakashi dragged her behind him, making sure she didn't go back to kill the little kid.

Inari laughed and waved. _I'll miss you, _he said in his mind. _Bye Azumi-neechan._

Once she was over her little "psycho phase", Kakashi released his grip on her.

Bored, she decided to tease Sasuke a bit. "Ne, Sasuke. Be sure to take it easy. After all, you _did _get badly injured," she cooed as if he was a little kid.

The Uchiha, however, knew what she was doing and had already thought of a quick comeback. "So you are worried about me," he smirked. "How nice."

Azumi blushed madly and turned her head away, crossing her arms. "No I'm not," she retorted.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am... UGH! I HATE YOU!"

Ah life. Isn't it wonderful?

**IT'S FINALLY OVER! HAHA! THE FIRST MISSION IS FINALLY OVER! :D That took a while. LOL Anyways, stay tune! The 2nd part of the story will be here soon! I hope you liked it! Comment please! And for those of you who think Sasuke's OOC, he can be sometimes in the anime when he was still a Genin. **

**Anyways, hoped you liked it! Peace out peoplez!**


	18. Epilogue

The reason why I skipped the Chuunin Exam part is because it's too difficult to add Azumi in there. I don't want to take out Sakura, and I don't want to change the story much. Still, she was involved and she made it to the final round, but wasn't able to battle yet due to the invasion.

But, she did befriend Gaara and made him softer after his battle with Naruto. Anyways, for all of you still reading my story, I would like to say this is the epilogue... FOR THIS PART! Like I said somewhere earlier in the series, there will be two parts following it. This takes place after the Chuunin exam somewhere after Naruto found Tsunade and Sasuke is healed. Sasuke is still good, and Sakura is less fangirl-y. ENJOY!

**Epilogue**

Everything was finally over.

The Chuunin exams had ended a while ago, and Sasuke was on the verge of being fully healed again.

Naruto was back from his quest to find Tsunade with Jiraiya.

Sakura began training under the works of Tsunade.

Azumi was... well, let's just say she's doing fine- or at least in her world.

Somehow, she had managed to gather everyone in her team and led them up to the top of the Hokage mountains.

"Why'd you call us here, Azumi-chan?" Naruto asked the white haired girl who was staring at the open blue skies as the clouds passed by.

"We haven't seen each other in a while. I feel as if we've all went our separate ways already. I just wanted to get us all together again and spend the day like we used to before all of this invasion and repairing stuff happened," she explained before sighing and still avoiding eye contact," I want to feel like a family again."

The other four were shocked.

They were speechless.

"But," she started again and finally decided to turn around and face them with an obvious fake smile," if you all have something to do already, it's okay."

Sasuke was the first to react.

He walked up to her and looked her straight in the eye. "I made plans already," he said, before smirking," but it looks like they're going to have to wait." With that, he gave her a genuine smile. It was a smirk, nor a sneer; it was a real smile.

The fake smile on Azumi's face slowly turned into a small one, then into a big one, then into a laugh.

Out of happiness, she threw her arms around the Uchiha. "That's great!"

Naruto and Sakura gawked.

Kakashi chuckled and raised his hand. "I'm free too. Count me in," he informed.

Azumi released her killer grip on her crush and smiled at her sensei, who's house she had moved out of a couple of weeks ago. "Really, Kakashi? What about you, Naruto, Sakura?" The two Genin broke out of the trance and nodded. "We're in!" they exclaimed.

The big smile turned into an even more radiant one. No one had ever seen it before- not even Kakashi, who had been with her for years and years already. The was the brightest one she had even given. Sasuke felt as if his heart skipped a beat, but all he could do was stare at her.

_You look like an angel..., _he thought before mentally slapping himself.

"We'll always be together," Sasuke suddenly announced.

Azumi nodded, locking eyes with him as the others watched the two. Their fingers entwined together, "Forever."

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"EW, YOU GUYS GET A ROOM!"

"NARUTO!"

**Ah, I liked writing the ending. There will be a sequel coming out soon! When it does, I'll inform you guys! I hope you guys liked it! Thank you for staying with me all this time!**


	19. Sequel Announcement

As you guys know, I am writing a sequel to this story! It will be called "The Sword of Destruction!" Don't miss it! If you guys like this one, I think you'll like that one too. And more Sasumi goodness :D

But of course, it does get more interesting since there is a love triangle going on- maybe even a love square!

Check out the story please and thanks for reading this!

Have a good day and check out WFMW 2: The Sword of Destruction!


	20. Revamped Version Released!

Hello there readers! It's been a while, hasn't it? I have lots to say but I don't want to take too much of your time, so I will just say it out straight.

This story is nearly over 2 years old and now that I have looked back upon it, I feel somewhat unsatisfied. That is why I have decided to create a revamped version of this story. You can look it up on my profile and it shouldn't be hard to find. The title is the same: "When Fire Meets Water - Revamped". If you would like to view this story again, enjoy! If you would like to view the sequel, enjoy as well!

Thank you everyone and have a nice day!


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